Tehran, October 25 (KCNA) -- On Thursday, Iran's intelligence minister, Heidar Moslehi, dismissed the American allegations, saying no professional intelligence agency would issue orders to an agent in a foreign country over the phone or transfer money to drug cartels through a New York bank.

Moslehi said Iran doesn't need to resort to such terror plots and that Tehran would not benefit from killing a Saudi diplomat.

The Iranian government has denied any connection to Manssor Arbabsiar, the man arrested in the alleged plot, and derided the claims, saying U.S. officials have offered no proof.

He claimed that Iran's security services have notched successes in an ongoing intelligence battle with the U.S., and said Washington now wants to tarnish Iran's image by attributing a "clumsy" plot to Tehran.