Iran MP calls for postponing Erdogan’s Tehran trip

March 28, 2015 By administrator

By Arash Karami,
Iranian officials have condemned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his comments against Iran’s regional reach, and an Iranian member of parliament has asked the Foreign Ministry to postpone Erdogan’s scheduled trip to Tehran in April.

Conservative Iranian member of parliemant Ahmad Tavakoli said, “In consideration of Mr. Erdogan’s baseless comments, our Foreign Ministry must postpone his trip to Iran,” adding, “When an individual who holds the post of president of a country lacks so much respect for a neighboring country that at the beginning of his trip talks about Iran’s foreign policy, it is not necessary to show eagerness for the creation of relations.”

Tavakoli was responding to comments made by Erdogan at a March 26 press conference, when he said that “Iran is trying to dominate the region,” and that it “cannot be tolerated.” Erdogan called on Iran to withdraw forces from Yemen, Iraq and Syria. Previously, in an interview with France 24, Erdogan also expressed support for Saudi Arabia’s bombing of Yemen and said that Turkey may offer “logistical support.”

Despite supporting opposing sides in the civil war in Syria, Iran and Turkey have been able to maintain political and economic relations. But these statements by Erdogan are the harshest against Iran since the peak of Tehran-Ankara ties in 2010, when Turkey, along with Brazil, tried to broker a nuclear deal between Iran and the West.

Erdogan’s comments did not sit well with a number of other officials either. Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, “Those who have brought about irreparable damages from their own strategic mistakes, it is better for them to adopt responsible policies toward the existing capacities to create calm in the region.” Zarif continued, “We give importance and have respect for our strategic relationship with Turkey in various fields.”

On the issue of Yemen, Zarif said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to participate with all of its brothers in the region to facilitate talks between all the various groups in Yemen to secure unity and to return stability and security to the country.”

Tavakoli said that Zarif’s comments “were not enough” and that he needs to take a firmer stance. He also rejected Erdogan’s comments that Iran is trying to dominate the region.

Spokesman for Erdogan Abrahim Kalin said that no changes have been made to Erdogan’s trip to Iran, adding that Iran is an important neighbor with strong trading ties. He added, “The latest developments in Yemen show the importance of Erdogan’s trip to Iran.”

Given that both Iran and Turkey have survived supporting opposing sides in the very bloody war in Syria, it’s doubtful at this point that Yemen will cause a drastic deterioration in ties. Syria is much more important to both Iran and Turkey. Iran has spent considerable resources supporting President Bashar al-Assad while Turkey has done the same supporting his opposition. Neither side has much of a stake in Yemen. Iran’s support for Houthi rebels is marginal for now. And Saudi Arabian bombing of Houthi rebels and forces of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh has so far received verbal support from Erdogan.

Arash Karami is the editor of Al-Monitor’s Iran Pulse and covers the Iranian media for Iran Pulse. On Twitter: @thekarami
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Iran accuses Turkish leader Erdogan of fomenting regional strife

March 27, 2015 By administrator

DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s foreign minister accused Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday of fomenting strife in the Middle East, rebuffing his accusation that Iran was trying to dominate the region.

“It would be better if those who have created irreparable damages with their strategic mistakes and lofty politics would adopt responsible policies,” Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency.

“Under the current circumstances, all countries must work toward establishing stability and preventing the spread of insecurity in the region,” Zarif, who is attending negotiations on Iran’s disputed nuclear program in Switzerland, added.

Erdogan declared his support on Thursday for a Saudi-led military operation in Yemen targeting the Houthis, and suggested the group’s links to Tehran were evidence of Iranian ambitions.

“Iran is trying to dominate the region… This has begun annoying us, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries. This is really not tolerable and Iran has to see this,” Erdogan said at a press conference.

He later implied in a television interview that Iran had forces inside Yemen, saying that “Iran and the terrorist groups must withdraw”.

Tehran supports the Houthis but denies giving them military support or having its own forces in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and Arab allies launched air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Thursday and Friday in support of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, whose forces had been pushed back to the southern city of Aden.

Tensions between Iran and Turkey have increased as Iran has taken a larger role in the fight against Islamic State. Iran has sent military commanders to lead irregular forces in Iraq and Syria, both of which border Turkey.

(Reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh; Writing by Sam Wilkin; editing by Ralph Boulton)

US accuses Israel of spying on nuclear talks with Iran

March 24, 2015 By administrator

Israel denies Wall Street Journal reports that it shared confidential information from talks with members of the US Congress in attempt to derail any deal

The US has accused Israel of spying on international negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme and using the intelligence gathered to persuade Congress to undermine the talks, according to a report on Tuesday.

The Wall Street Journal cited senior administration officials as saying the Israeli espionage operation began soon after the US opened up a secret channel of communications with Tehran in 2012, aimed at resolving the decade-long standoff over Iran’s nuclear aspirations.

The apparent decision by the White House to leak the allegations is the latest symptom of the growing gulf between Barack Obama’s administration and Binyamin Netanyahu’s government over the Iran talks, in which the Israeli leader suspects US officials of being ready to make too many concessions at the expense of Israeli security. Intelligence analysts suggested that the leak reflects the degree of anger in Washington at Netanyahu’s actions, and could mark a more serious blow to the already tottering relationship.

The leak has come exactly a week before a deadline for the US-Iranian negotiations in Lausanne to produce a framework agreement.

According to the report, the US has long been aware that Israel is among the shortlist of countries with the most aggressive intelligence operations targeting America, alongside Russia, China and France. It said American diplomats attending the talks in Austria and Switzerland were briefed by US counterintelligence officials about the threat of Israeli eavesdropping. It also raised the possibility that Israel gathered intelligence about the US position by spying on other participants in the negotiations, from western Europe, Russia, China or Iran. US intelligence had previously provided help to the Israelis to spy on the Iranians, the report said.

The US also conducts intelligence operations against Israel, and learned of the Israeli spying operation when it intercepted communication between Israeli officials exchanging classified information that US intelligence believed could only have been acquired by espionage.

“It is one thing for the US and Israel to spy on each other. It is another thing for Israel to steal US secrets and play them back to US legislators to undermine US diplomacy,” the Wall Street Journal quoted a senior US official as saying.

Israel has categorically denied the allegations that it spied on closed-door nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US, however it did not deny that such information had been obtained.

“I think the report is wrong, it is inaccurate,” the outgoing Israeli foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, told the country’s Army Radio on Tuesday morning. “The State of Israel obviously has various security interests and we have excellent intelligence services, but we are not engaged in espionage against the United States.” He did not, however, deny information was obtained. Lieberman said: “All the information we gathered was from another entity, not the US.” He added: “We reached a decision a long time ago not to spy on the US and I haven’t come across anyone who has violated that instruction in several decades.”

Ronen Bergman, an expert on the country’s intelligence agencies at the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, said: “Whatever you think of Netanyahu’s position on the Iran talks, if he thinks that Israel’s national security is at stake, he has the right to order the intelligence community to find out what is happening.”

But Bergman – whose book, A History of the Israeli Mossad, will be published next year – added: “What worries me and what should be of high concern to the leaders of Israel is that this is ample proof that the relations at large between the US and Israel are sustaining an earthquake. The fact that it is happening is less worrying than that it was leaked. Also, any intervention by Israel in the inner working of American politics is wrong. If this report is true and Netanyahu’s intervention used intelligence material, then it is just making it worse.”

Yuval Steinitz, the strategic affairs minister and close Netanyahu aide, told Israel’s Channel 2 that the reports were “intended to damage the strong ties between the US and Israel, despite our differences on the Iran issue”.

BUENOS AIRES: Draft of Arrest Warrant for Argentine President Found at Dead Prosecutor’s Home

February 3, 2015 By administrator

By SIMON ROMEROFEB. 3, 2015

BUENOS AIRES — Alberto Nisman, the prosecutor whose mysterious death has gripped Argentina, had drafted a warrant for the arrest of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, accusing her of trying to shield Iranian officials from responsibility in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center here, the lead investigator into his death said Tuesday.

The 26-page document, which was found in the garbage at Mr. Nisman’s apartment, also requested the arrest of Héctor Timerman, Argentina’s foreign minister. Both Mrs. Kirchner and Mr. Timerman have repeatedly denied Mr. Nisman’s accusation that they tried to reach a secret deal with Iran to lift international arrest warrants for Iranian officials wanted in connection with the bombing. Report NYT

“It would have provoked a crisis without precedents in Argentina,” said Sergio Berensztein, a political analyst, about the impact of the warrants if they had been issued. He acknowledged that previous legal cases had shaken Argentina’s political establishment, but he emphasized that this case involved a request to arrest a sitting president.

“It would have been a scandal on a level previously unseen,” Mr. Berensztein said.

Mrs. Kirchner, who is on a visit to China, issued a stream of updates on Twitter about strengthening ties between Buenos Aires and Beijing but did not comment immediately on the confirmation that Mr. Nisman had considered seeking her arrest. She and the foreign minister have previously pointed to statements by Interpol’s former director that the Argentine government did not lobby it to lift the Iranian arrest warrants.

Viviana Fein, the prosecutor investigating Mr. Nisman’s death, confirmed on Tuesday morning that Mr. Nisman had prepared the draft of the warrant requesting the president’s arrest. Confusion about the document emerged when Ms. Fein at first denied its existence, after the newspaper Clarín published an article on Sunday about the draft.

Mrs. Kirchner’s cabinet chief, Jorge Capitanich, tore up the article before reporters on Monday. But then Ms. Fein corrected her earlier statement and confirmed the existence of the draft, which Clarín said was prepared in June 2014, more than six months before Mr. Nisman went public with his accusations against the president.

“The words I should have used are, ‘It’s evident that there was a draft,’ ” Ms. Fein said in comments broadcast on Argentine radio.

After the confusion, Ms. Fein insisted she was not being pressured by Mrs. Kirchner’s government over the handling of the investigation. “I do not receive pressure from the government or anyone,” she said. “I am independent.”

At the same time, Ms. Fein said Tuesday that she would be taking a vacation from Feb. 18 to March 5.

“It’s only 10 working days, and it’s not going to alter the course of the investigation,” Ricardo Sáenz, Ms Fein’s immediate superior, told local radio. Two prosecutors will replace Ms. Fein during her vacation, he said.

The draft of the arrest warrants was not included in a 289-page criminal complaint against Mrs. Kirchner, the foreign minister and prominent supporters of the president that Mr. Nisman filed. Mr. Nisman accused them of derailing his decade-long investigation into the 1994 bombing of the Argentina Israelite Mutual Association, commonly called AMIA, which left 85 people dead.

Two judges have refused to take the case made by Mr. Nisman, raising the possibility that his complaint could languish in Argentina’s legal system if another judge is not found to continue it. A federal chamber is expected to decide who should take the case.

Mrs. Kirchner and senior officials have criticized Mr. Nisman’s complaint, disputing his findings and contending that agents from Argentina’s premier intelligence services were involved in preparing it. In the uproar around the prosecutor’s death, Mrs. Kirchner announced a plan last week to overhaul the intelligence agency, after a purge of its leadership in December.

Meanwhile, the investigation into Mr. Nisman’s death is proceeding as theories swirl in Argentina about whether it was a suicide or a killing. Mrs. Kirchner has suggested that Mr. Nisman’s death is part of a plot to tarnish her government.

Underscoring the tension surrounding the death of Mr. Nisman, who was buried at a Jewish cemetery last week, anti-Semitic posters began appearing in central Buenos Aires this week. They read: “The good Jew is the dead Jew. The good Jew is Nisman.”

Julio Schlosser, the president of the Delegation of Argentine Jewish Associations, said, “These posters represent a current of anti-Semitism seeking to insult the prosecutor Nisman, who worked and dedicated his life to the AMIA case.” He added, “It is also a provocation to the Jewish community.”

Iran, Russia mull joint account to trade in own currencies

January 27, 2015 By administrator

Iran and Russia are planning to create a joint account to settle their mutual payments in their own legal tenders, Iran’s ambassador to Russia says.

“Both sides plan to create a mutual bank or a mutual account to make payments in [Iranian] rials and [Russian] roubles possible,” RIA Novosti quoted Mehdi Sanaei as saying.

Sanaei’s remarks come two days after Gholam-Ali Kamyab, the vice governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), said Iran plans to sign “bilateral monetary treaties” with certain countries.

Kamyab also said Iran is not using the dollar “in its transactions with different countries”, adding, “Iran is using other currencies like China’s yuan, Turkey’s lira, Russia’s rouble and South Korea’s won in its trade transactions with foreign countries.”

Sanaei said relations between Iran and Russia “are actively developing” and that last year was “a very fruitful year” for both Tehran and Moscow.

Last November, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his country would quit the “dollar dictatorship” in order to switch to more widespread use of the rouble and the yuan in international transactions.

The US and the European Union (EU) have imposed an array of embargoes on Russian individuals and businesses over the crisis in Ukraine. They accuse Moscow of supporting anti-Kiev protesters in eastern and southern Ukraine. Russia denies the allegation.

The US and its European allies have also imposed sanctions against Iran over Tehran’s civilian nuclear activities.

Last September, Iran and Russia agreed to use their national currencies in bilateral trade.

Iran FM: Eurasian Union an option for development of Iran-Armenia cooperation

January 27, 2015 By administrator

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union creates a good opportunity for development of cooperation between Iran and Armenia, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in Yerevan on Tuesday.

The Minister said there is also a trilateral format of cooperation Iran-Armenia-Russia on communication.

“We are ready to work with Armenia and Russia in this field. There are many other areas for cooperation. We are neighbors and we have common interests. Our task is to use all opportunities, and the Eurasian Economic Union is one of them,” Zarif said during a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian.

Armenia became a full member of the Eurasian Union starting January 1.

IRAN A Monument to Armenian Genocide opened in Tehran

January 25, 2015 By administrator

A monument dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide was erected in the courtyard of the Catholic Church of Saint Gregory the Illuminator in Tehran.

As reported by the Armenian Alik daily Iran monument was dedicated by Patriarch Nerses Petros XIX. In his speech after the consecration, the Patriarch said that the existence of a monument dedicated to the Armenian Genocide side of the church remind heirs of Armenian Genocide victims once again their Armenian roots and values from these roots, and the need to preserve national identity and to obtain the rights that have been stolen from the Armenians.

The patriarch also said that Pope Francis will be present at a Divine Liturgy dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide at the Vatican April 12, 2015.

Sunday, January 25, 2015,
Stéphane © armenews.com

Iran seeks return of $22 bln smuggled to İstanbul,

January 21, 2015 By administrator

Iran’s previous government smuggled $22 billion of oil money to İstanbul and Dubai to keep exchange rates in check, and the current government is looking to reclaim this money, the Iranian vice president said on Tuesday. report Zaman

Iran’s state-run news agency İRNA quoted Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri as saying that the $22 billion was smuggled out of Iran under the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Jahangiri was speaking about ties with Turkey following the revelation of a corruption probe linked to Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani, who is now in prison in Iran.

“We are surprised that a young man was allowed to control more than $2.7 billion in oil revenues,” Jahangiri was quoted as saying in reference to Zanjani.

Zanjani, who was detained in Tehran on Dec. 30, 2013 by Iranian officials, is believed to have participated in shady business activities in Turkey with another Iranian businessman, Reza Zarrab, who was a suspect in a government corruption investigation that went public in Turkey in December 2013. Zarrab was acquitted in a court decision that was criticized for being rendered under intense political pressure from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

“If this amount [$22 billion] is not returned to our country’s economy, it will be shameful for Iran. … We are looking forward to the return of this money to Iran,” Jahangiri said on Tuesday. The vice president also criticized the former government for responding slowly in the prosecution of the case of smuggled money.

In 2009, Ahmadinejad’s administration faced a major scandal when Turkish authorities said that a whopping $18.5 billion in cash had entered Turkey, without specifying the details or the source of the money, Rudaw news agency reported on Tuesday.

Later, Turkish media said the money had come from Iran and had been seized at the border.

Iran is set to reclaim its role as regional leader

November 18, 2014 By administrator

Once US troops go home, Iran has the most battle-ready military force to offset regional challenges.

By Shahram Akbarzadeh

Most commentary on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) point to the challenges it presents to the Middle East. Sectarian tensions may have been a fact of life in the region. But ISIL has made it the number one threat to the political order – it cost Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki his job.

The implications of the scourge of sectarianism are far reaching for Iran too. As a constitutionally Shia Muslim state, Iran is mindful of the restricting framework of sectarianism. Since its inception, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been eager to project an image that transcends sectarian differences. This has been a key pillar of Iran’s regional policy. Speaking to the Muslim masses and voicing popular angst against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, or against US arrogance and political domination of the international order, have been at the heart of Iran’s message to its neighbourhood. Of course, this has antagonised neighbouring regimes, which accuse Tehran of destabilising the region.

Saudi Arabia was quite vocal in protesting against Iran’s message following the 1979 revolution. But Tehran turned such criticism to its advantage. By supporting Hamas and Hezbollah in an apparent attempt to challenge Israel, which it calls the “Zionist entity”, by proxy it gained political credibility on the Arab street. Having Hamas in this alliance was very important, as it offered Iran an example of an inter-sectarian alliance against a common enemy.

Trans-sectarian policy

The notion of the “axis of resistance” applied to the political congruity of Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas, was celebrated in Iran as a successful case of its trans-sectarian policy, emphasising the political unity of all Muslims. Iran clearly saw itself as the champion of all Muslims and with the sprouting Arab Spring, the Iranian leadership was self-congratulatory for providing a model for the Muslim world to follow, even though the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt appeared very reluctant to follow the Iranian model.

But the Arab Spring has now turned to winter and given rise to devastating carnage in Syria and Iraq. ISIL has galvanised the international community to act. The US-led aerial bombardment of ISIL assets have offered the Kurdish Peshmerga and the Iraqi forces some reprieve.

Ironically, the common threat of ISIL has put old foes on the same side of the fence. Iran and the US have an enemy in ISIL. So why is Iran not part of the international coalition?

The Iranian leadership operates in its own political and psychological sphere, and responds to a range of factors beyond the geo-strategic needs of the day. The parameters of this sphere dictate that Iran cannot afford to be seen as a minor player in a US-led operation. Iran sees itself as an equal player, and in many ways a more critical player because of its geographical location. While this does not rule out ad hoc contact between the two sides on practical issues, it does make entering into a military alliance with the US highly problematic for Iran’s sense of its own regional role.

Suspicions

The Iranian leadership is also suspicious of US intentions and sincerity in the fight against ISIL. The US is accused of sponsoring rebel groups in Syria, and having a hand in the emergence of what Iran calls “takfiris” (apostate groups). A recent statement by US Secretary of State John Kerry about the role of Saudi Arabia, UAE and Turkey in the rise of ISIL seemed to vindicate Iranian cynicism. Saudi Arabia is now part of the international coalition to stop the ISIL land grab. The Iranian authorities, especially the conservatives, see this as disingenuous. Indeed, Washington’s continued commitment to deposing Bashar al-Assad in Syria, which is at war with ISIL, is seen as evidence of its deceit.

Instead, Iran sees its ties with the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) as leverage in the push against ISIL. Iranian authorities celebrate what they see as Tehran’s immediate response to aid Iraq against ISIL, and have published images of General Qasem Soleimani, the Commander of Quds Forces, in Kurdistan.

From Iran’s point of view, history is on its side: Once all is said and done, once US troops return home, Iran maintains the most battle-ready military force to offset regional challenges, buttressed with strong political ties with Iraq, Syria and Hezbollah. The Iranian leadership remains confident that this alliance will allow Tehran to shift the focus back on Israel, and allow Iran to reclaim its role as regional leader.

Shahram Akbarzadeh is Research Professor and ARC Future Fellow at the Centre for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University, Australia.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial policy.

Source:
Al Jazeera

Iran, Jordan, Alienated from Turkey, Warmly Welcome Armenian Leaders

November 4, 2014 By administrator

BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN

Armenians boosted their historical ties with the Arab and Muslim world last month with the simultaneous visits of Armenia’s President and Jerusalem’s Armenian Patriarch to the Kingdom of Jordan, and visits by the Armenian Prime Minister and Aram Catholicos of Lebanon to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

While such foreign visits are commonplace, the exceptionally warm reception accorded by Shia Iran and Sunni Jordan to four Armenian leaders reflects these Islamic countries’ close relationship with Christian Armenians and displeasure with the Turkish government’s radical Islamist policies.

Only a few years ago, many Arabs and Muslims hailed Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Erdogan — now President — as a modern-day Sultan who was championing their national and religious aspirations. In 2010, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey decided to form a joint free trade zone to strengthen their economic cooperation. Soon after, by siding with the Muslim Brotherhood and Jihadists’ murderous rampage against Kurds, Yazidis, Shias, Alawites, and Christian minorities, Erdogan’s hegemonic and erratic behavior alienated almost every state in the Middle East. Turkey’s love-fest with Syria quickly turned into outright hostility, and Ankara’s relations with Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and especially Israel, became antagonistic.

These regional tensions with Turkey may have played a role in the enthusiastic welcome the four Armenian dignitaries received from the highest ranking officials of Iran and Jordan where they had warm and fruitful discussions regarding their mutual interests and concerns. Here are the highlights of their visits:

– Pres. Serzh Sargsyan met with King Abdullah II, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, Senate President Abdel Raouf al-Rawabdeh, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Atef Tarawneh. During the visit, the mayors of Yerevan and Amman signed a sister city agreement. The leaders of the two countries decided to establish inter-parliamentary friendship groups and expand their cooperation in the fields of tourism, energy, agriculture, and health. Pres. Sargsyan thanked the Jordanian leadership for welcoming Armenian refugees during the 1915 Genocide and paying special attention to the needs of the Armenian community of Jordan today. The Armenian President voiced his gratitude for the decree issued in 1917 by Sharif al-Husayn Ibn Ali, who urged the Muslim faithful to protect the Armenian survivors of the Genocide “as you would defend yourselves, your properties, and children.” Pres. Sargsyan also paid tribute to the late King Hussein who had sent urgently-needed humanitarian aid to Armenia shortly after the 1988 earthquake. The President then attended the historic consecration of the St. Garabed Church by Jerusalem Patriarch Nourhan Manougian near the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized. The land for the sacred site of the church was graciously donated by the Jordanian government. It is ironic that while Turkey aided and abetted ISIS terrorists’ destruction of the Armenian Genocide Memorial Church in Der Zor, the Jordanian government was instrumental in the construction of an Armenian Church on the banks of the Jordan River!

– During his brief visit to Iran, Armenia’s Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan met Pres. Hassan Rouhani and signed a series of agreements on energy, agriculture, and culture. Mr. Abrahamyan transmitted Pres. Sargsyan’s invitation to Pres. Rouhani to visit Yerevan next April 24, on the Armenian Genocide Centennial. The Prime Minister, accompanied by seven cabinet ministers, also met Iran’s First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Minister of Petroleum Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, and Isfahan Governor Rasul Zargarpur who praised the contributions of the Armenian community to the development of Isfahan.

– Aram Catholicos met with Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani who hailed the positive role played by the Iranian-Armenian community: “Iran has always held the Armenian community in high regard and many friendly relations have been in progress between Iranian Muslims and Armenians.” They also discussed the Turkish government’s negative role in the region. Aram Catholicos also met with the Governor of Isfahan and leaders of the Islamic Organization for Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue. On behalf of Pres. Rouhani, Ali Younesi, Special Assistant to the President on ethnic and religious minorities, hosted a dinner in honor of the Catholicos. Speaking at a conference in New Julfa on Armenian Genocide demands from Turkey, Aram Catholicos declared: “irrespective of the circumstances and the elapsed time, we shall continue to demand justice for our martyrs.”

The coincidental visits of the four Armenian leaders to Iran and Jordan reinforced the strong positive ties between the two Muslim countries and Armenia and Armenians, and highlighted Turkey’s further isolation in the Middle East.