Claudia Roth: They Did Not Allow Us to Meet with Mousavi, Karroubi, and Khatami

Claudia Roth, a member of the Green Party and Vice President of the German Parliament, traveled to Iran at the head of a delegation on January 21. During this trip, Ms. Roth met with the Speaker of Parliament and several representatives, as well as the Vice Presidents of the Republic in charge of women's affairs and the environment. Her efforts to meet with reformist politicians and human rights activists were thwarted by government officials. Roth left Iran on January 25. On January 24, during a meeting with Mohammad Reza Aref, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, she called for an end to the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, leaders of the Green Movement. The statements made by the Vice President of the German Parliament regarding the necessity of lifting the house arrest of Mousavi, Karroubi, and Rahnavard provoked anger among conservatives. Among them, Mohammad Hassan Abutalebi, the Vice President of the Iranian Parliament, called for the German ambassador in Tehran to be summoned. Jawad Kouroshi from Radio Farda conducted an exclusive interview with Ms. Roth, asking her about the purpose of her trip to Iran. Roth stated that as the Vice President of the German Parliament, she traveled to Iran with the head of the Economic Cooperation Committee of the German Parliament. The motivation for this trip was to discuss Iran's responsibilities as a regional power instead of isolating the country and cutting off dialogues. She emphasized that Iran is a regional power with significant responsibilities in a region plagued by violence, war, homelessness, and fear. She also highlighted the importance of addressing internal issues in Iran, including human rights, citizen rights, women's rights, and the rights of religious minorities, particularly the Baha'is, who are prosecuted in Iran. Roth expressed her desire to meet with various officials, including the Vice President of Women and Family Affairs and the head of the Environmental Organization, and spent a full day in Parliament. She visited Lake Urmia and witnessed the environmental disaster firsthand. In Tehran, she expressed her wish to meet with Mousavi, Karroubi, and Khatami, but her hosts were not very positive about this request. She also expressed a desire to meet with Narges Mohammadi, which did not happen as Mohammadi was arrested in front of their hotel. Roth noted that she was required to adhere to the planned protocol during her official visit and that her hosts were careful to keep her within the official agenda. She discussed various topics with Iranian officials, including the situation in Syria, the need for dialogue between Iran and Saudi Arabia, women's rights, and the rights of minorities, especially the Baha'is. Regarding the ongoing nuclear talks, Roth emphasized the importance of a positive conclusion while noting that Iran must also take steps towards transparency and inspections. She perceived that there are strong forces in Iran benefiting from sanctions and that they do not want the situation to change. However, she observed that ordinary people, especially the youth, wish for the negotiations to succeed and for sanctions to be lifted. Roth concluded that it is not good to prevent all contact with Iran and that it is essential to clarify Iran's important role in the region during visits and discussions. Isolation or cutting off meetings only benefits conservatives and reactionary forces. The topics she raised in Iran have sparked significant reactions in public discussions and have angered conservative media, indicating the importance of such meetings and the strong interest in opening society in Iran.