TEHRAN, February 10. /TASS/. Iran believes the global scandal around Jeffrey Epstein is not just a criminal case but a geopolitical "project" orchestrated to advance Israel's interests, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said.

"Given numerous reports about the Zionist regime (Israel - TASS) or some other countries using these cases and bogus news to advance their political goals, it seems to increasingly suggest that this whole thing may be part of a long-term and large-scale project to promote the political goals of certain sides, especially the Zionist regime," the Iranian diplomat said at a weekly news conference.

Baghaei said this situation is not limited to the United States or one single actor. "These crimes have touched human lives across the world very deeply, and should in a certain sense be viewed as crimes against humanity," he added.

Epstein was detained by New York State law enforcement on July 6, 2019. The prosecutor’s office said there was evidence that in 2002-2005 he organized visits to his home in Manhattan by dozens of underage girls, the youngest of whom was 14 years old. Epstein’s friends and acquaintances included a large number of current and retired officials not only from the United States, but also from many other countries, major entrepreneurs and show business stars. The criminal prosecution of the financier was terminated after his suicide in a prison cell in August 2019.