Visa request by three U.S. congressmen is a political-propaganda act: Iran

February 9, 2016 - 0:0

TEHRAN – Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday that the visit of the three U.S. senators to Iran and their request for visa is “more of a political-propaganda act than a real political move.”

Three American Republicans Mike Pompeo, Lee Zeldin, and Frank LoBiondo have put in their visa request to come to Iran to observe this month's Majlis elections, visit nuclear sites, and meet with Revolutionary Guards.

Making the remarks in his weekly press conference, Hossein Jaberi Ansari added that a special committee is responsible for reviewing all visa requests and entries into the country and they will also go over the applications of these three American politicians, as well. However, he noted, “Iran opposes any foreign interference in its national affairs.”

On Ali Akbar Velayati’s official visit to Russia, which took place on February 1st, Ansari said the foreign policy adviser of Iran's Supreme Leader held talks with a series of senior Russian officials.

Ansari also announced further improvement of Iran-Russia relationships.

In response to the Tehran Times’ question on the fate of some Iranian fishermen from Bushehr who were captured and imprisoned by Kuwaiti military guards in the waters of the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, Ansari said Iran’s foreign ministry has not received any thing in written from the Kuwaiti government yet.

He then added the arrest is apparently due to a fight that broke out between some Iranian and Arab fishermen in the Persian Gulf.

Iran’s embassy in Kuwait, Ansari expressed, is following up the case to serve the interest of the Iranian fishermen.

On enhancing the UK-Iran relations, Ansari explained that UK embassy in Tehran is prepared to issue visa for Iranians in three weeks.

When asked what measures Iran has taken after the wider spread of Saudi Arabia’s attacks on Yemen, the spokesman said Iran has had extensive talks with the UN secretary general representative on this issue, but “these talks have borne no fruit yet.”

From the beginning of the war of Saudi Arabia in Yemen, the diplomat said, Iran has been emphasizing that the continuation of war will only embolden terrorism, extremism and violence in the region, creating an unstable region where peace is far from reality.

“There should be no preconditions set for talks about Yemen.”