Iran’s Foreign Ministry has rejected Morocco’s claims that the Islamic Republic wants to infiltrate Africa and expand Shiite ideology on the continent.

Speaking at his weekly press conference on Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the remarks by the Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita are baseless, describing them as “unfounded projections”.

Last week, Bourita said that the Islamic Republic is threatening “the spiritual security of Africa" and vowed to stop Iran’s attempts to spread its influence on the continent.

"Iran plans to enter West Africa and to spread the Shia doctrine in the region," he said.

He also accused the Islamic Republic of supporting Yemen’s Houthis who regularly target Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

"Morocco’s support for what the state of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates has been subjected to is a clear message to denounce the abuses of the Houthis and the policy of Iran that stands behind them”, Bourita added.

Morocco severed diplomatic ties with Iran in 2018, saying the Tehran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah was training Polisario Front separatist fighters against Morocco in Western Sahara.

Iran-backed Houthis have launched missile and drone attacks on three occasions against the UAE in January.

Many countries in the region accuse Iran of interference in the domestic affairs of its neighboring countries.