Israel has raised objections to the European Union’s (EU) decision to send a senior diplomat to the inauguration of Iran’s new President, Ebrahim Raisi, saying that it shows “poor judgment,” as “Raisi has the blood of thousands of Iranian citizens on his hands.”
Raisi, endorsed by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will be officially sworn in as the President in a ceremony on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service, Nabila Massrali, said, “Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, the bloc’s diplomatic body, will attend the inauguration on behalf of [EU top diplomat Josep Borrell].” She added, “It is crucial to engage diplomatically with the new administration and pass directly important messages.”
Condemning the EU’s decision, the spokesperson of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lior Haiat, said, “The decision of the European Union to send a senior representative to the swearing-in ceremony of the ‘Butcher of Tehran’ is puzzling and shows poor judgment.”
The spokesperson added, “The new Iranian President has the blood of thousands of Iranian citizens on his hands, and the EU participation gives legitimacy to the Iranian attack and the policy of aggression of the ayatollahs’ government. Flattery and subservience to violent and totalitarian regimes only encourage further violence and aggression.”
Israel’s remarks come after Mercer Street, an oil tanker managed by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer, was attacked on Thursday northeast of Oman’s island, Masirah, resulting in the death of a Romanian and British citizen. The United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US), and Israel claimed that Iran was responsible. However, Iran denied any involvement in the drone attack on the vessel.
Despite Israel urging the EU to cancel its “shameful participation” in Raisi’s inauguration ceremony, no change in senior diplomat Mora’s plan has been reported so far.
Mora oversees day-to-day negotiations of the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The nuclear deal has been on a standstill since the former US President Donald Trump pulled out of the agreement in 2018, citing non-compliance on Iran’s part.
The negotiations have been delayed until Raisi takes office. However, some American and European officials have expressed concerns that the talks are not likely to resume. Concerning this, Germany’s Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, in an interview with Der Spiegel, said, “I see with growing unease that Iran is, on the one hand, delaying the resumption of nuclear negotiations in Vienna, and on the other moving ever further away from the core elements of the deal.”
Although Raisi refused to comment on the resumption of nuclear negotiations in Vienna, he said, “We will not [tie] the people’s dining tables and the economy to the will of the foreigners.”
EU’s decision to Send Diplomat For Inaugration of Iran’s New President Irks Israel
Israel has condemned the European Union’s decision to send a senior diplomat to the inauguration of Iran’s new President, Ebrahim Raisi, after a drone attack on an Israeli oil tanker.
August 4, 2021
SOURCE: ALL ISRAEL NEWS