Iran’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement rejecting accusations that an Iranian diplomat in Brazil sexually assaulted young girls in a public swimming pool.

The statement said the accusations against the unnamed diplomat “are all false and baseless.”

Brazilian police have said the man inappropriately touched as many as 10 girls aged between 9 and 15 at a pool in the capital, Brasilia, on April 14.

Police detained the man on the scene but released him after learning he was an Iranian diplomat.

Earlier, the Iranian Embassy issued a statement saying the incident was “a misunderstanding due to differences in cultural behavior.”

Based on reporting by AFP and dpa