Iran denies role in Salman Rushdie attack but claims author is to blame

Hadi Matar, the 24-year-old New Jersey man arrested at the scene, was charged with second-degree attempted murder and assault with a weapon.

The attack took place as the future of a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and major powers hangs in the balance. Iran has said it will give a formal response by the end of Monday to an EU proposal on how to revive the deal, which has steadily disintegrated since Donald Trump withdrew the US in 2018.

The Biden administration has insisted, however, that the nuclear issue should be treated separately from other points of conflict between the two nations.

Rushdie was stabbed three times in the neck, four times in the stomach, once in the right eye and once in the chest, and had a slash to his right thigh.