Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast
2011/01/05 MNA
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast has said representatives of several countries will be traveling to Iran to visit its nuclear facilities in the near future.
Representatives of some members of the European Union, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Group of 77, and the 5+1 group have been invited to visit Iran’s nuclear sites.
The invitation came in a letter that Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, wrote to the IAEA.
The invitation shows the transparency of Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said during his weekly press briefing on Tuesday.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Mehmanparast said that defending the rights of Iranian nationals is a priority on the agenda of the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
He made the remarks in response to reports that Shahrzad Mir-Qolikhan, an Iranian woman unjustly imprisoned in the United States for three years, is being treated in an inhumane way.
He also noted that some other Iranian nationals are being detained in the U.S. illegally and are being deprived of their most basic rights and called on Washington to respect the human rights of Iranian nationals.
Iran warns Britain about intrusive remarks
Mehmanparast warned the British ambassador to Iran, Simon Gass, against making interfering and provocative remarks.
The British envoy to Tehran was appointed by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG) in the 2011 New Year Honors.
The British ambassador should be cautious about his remarks and should be aware that these interfering statements violate diplomatic protocol.
“As far as we know, the title is granted annually to a number of individuals and officials in Britain as a ceremonial title,” he added.
He went on to say that an ambassador’s mission is to make efforts to expand interactions between countries and they should never do anything which undermines bilateral relations.
Israel should be held accountable for death of Iranian national
Mehmanparast also said there are reports indicating that Iranian citizen Ali-Reza Asgari has been killed in an Israeli prison and added that the Zionist regime should be held accountable in the case.
Asgari, a former Iranian deputy defense minister, mysteriously disappeared in 2007 while on a trip to Turkey. It is believed that he was abducted and transferred to Israel.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman stated that Iran and Turkey are currently working together to discover clues about the fate of Asgari.
Mehmanparast said even some Israeli media outlets have officially confirmed that Asgari had been detained in Israel.
The Zionist regime is responsible for Asgari’s safety, he said, adding that Iran’s Foreign Ministry is pursuing the case through “legal and political” channels.
Azerbaijani president misquoted
Asked about the recent reports claiming that the Azerbaijani president has said he is the leader of all the Azerbaijanis in the world, Mehmanparast said it seems that the remarks have been reported incorrectly.
Certain media outlets are seeking to sow discord between the two countries, so everyone should be on guard about these tricks, he added.
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