Iranian MP rejects EP Tehran office call

Considering “the decisions made by the European Parliament and their political approach towards Iran, there are no grounds for opening an office in Iran,” Chairman of Iran’s Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Alaeddin Boroujerdi said on Friday.

Boroujerdi’s comments came a day after the EP passed the resolution stating that the first steps towards opening the representative office in the Iranian capital should be taken by the end of the year.

In the motion, the parliament also expressed concern over the alleged violation of human rights in Iran.

It claimed that Iran’s presidential election in June 2013, which led to the victory of Hassan Rouhani, was “not held according to the democratic standards valued by the EU.”

The Iranian lawmaker rejected the resolution as a flagrant meddling in Iran's internal affairs, which could undermine Tehran-EU relations.

Iran has dismissed the resolution as unrealistic and counterproductive at a time when the Islamic Republic and the EU have taken initial steps to resolve issues in their relations.

In December, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) said EU countries had informally requested the parliament to open an embassy in Iran to facilitate more “open exchange”.
/SR