Iran lashes out at France over new Charlie Hebdo cartoons

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has summoned the French ambassador to condemn the publication of offensive caricatures of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. The magazine has a long history of publishing vulgar cartoons mocking Islamists, which critics say are deeply insulting to Muslims. Two French-born al-Qaida extremists attacked the newspaper’s office in 2015, killing 12 cartoonists, and it has been the target of other attacks over the years. Its January issue features the winners of a recent cartoon contest in which entrants were asked to draw the most offensive caricatures of Khamenei, who has held Iran’s highest office since 1989. The contest was billed as a show of support for anti-government protests rocking Iran.