Speaking at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Manouchehr Mottaki implied some Western countries, including Britain, Ireland, France, Germany and Australia, might have helped in planning the assassination.

Israel's spy agency, Mossad, has been accused of being behind the death of Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, who was found killed on January 20 in a Dubai hotel.

Mottaki singled out countries whose forged passports were apparently used by the hit squad identified by Dubai police.

"Many European countries and non-European countries have been traced in that killing. The passport of these countries have been used," Mottaki later told reporters, asking if German and other governments knew their documents were being used.

He said the passports used were in his view real documents.

The Iranian foreign minister said the "war against terror" - the term used by former US president George W Bush- was a guise for "training terrorists," and that "terror will be translated as protecting human rights."