Iran embassy blames 'misunderstanding' for fondling scandal

The unnamed diplomat was accused of inappropriately touching girls aged between nine and 14 at a Brasilia club.

BRASILIA: Iran's embassy in Brazil on Thursday blamed a "misunderstanding" for a scandal in which one of its diplomats is alleged to have fondled underaged girls.

Press reports said the unnamed diplomat was accused of inappropriately touching girls aged between nine and 14 in a swimming pool at a Brasilia club late last week.

The parents of the girls reported the incident to police and the diplomat was questioned before being released, due to his diplomatic immunity.

The Brazilian foreign ministry said Thursday that it received the police report as well as the testimony from the mother of one of the girls.

"We are looking into the case and assessing what needs to be done and once it is completed, the (Iranian) embassy will be notified," a foreign ministry spokesman said.

"This mission says that the charge against an Iranian diplomat is a misunderstanding due to differences in cultural behaviour," the Iranian embassy said in a statement sent to AFP.

The text also accused the press of being "generally biased on issues relating to some countries, such as Iran."

The news website G1 quoted the father of one of the girls as saying that the Iranian diplomat could have been lynched because of the outrage felt by the families present at the club.

"People wanted to kill him. If the club had not deployed security personnel, today they would be looking for me to speak of homicide or lynching," said the father of one of the girls, who asked not to be named.