Controversial Visa for Zakani and Russians; 'It's Time for the Belgian Foreign Minister to Resign'

Hojjat Al-Habib, the Belgian Foreign Minister, is facing calls for his resignation from several members of parliament after granting visas to delegations from Iran and Russia to attend a mayors' conference held last week in Brussels. The approval of the visa requests for the Iranian and Russian delegations came just three weeks after the release of Olivier Vandecasteele, a Belgian aid worker, in exchange for the release of Assadollah Assadi, an Iranian diplomat convicted of terrorism. Darya Safaei, an Iranian-born member of the Belgian parliament, tweeted: 'We will stand against the normalization of the crimes of the Islamic Republic in the West. Now it is time for the Belgian Foreign Minister to resign. He must also resign.' In an interview with Radio 'Matin Premier', she questioned, 'Why does [Hojjat Al-Habib] accept that terrorists come to Brussels just three weeks after the release of Olivier Vandecasteele?' In this context, Pascal Smet, the Brussels city official responsible for urban planning and international affairs, resigned on Sunday, June 18, following the uproar over the invitation extended to Alireza Zakani, the mayor of Tehran, to the Belgian capital. He insisted that he had committed no wrongdoing and stated that all documents related to his correspondence about the invitation and visa issuance for the Tehran mayor and his companions had been submitted to the Belgian parliament. Additionally, Theo Francken, a member of the Belgian parliament, tweeted that Pascal Smet, who invited the 'terrorist Basij' Zakani and his spies to come to Brussels, resigned due to 'excessive political pressure.' This Belgian politician further called for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be placed on the list of terrorist organizations and to 'get rid of the Islamic Republic.' Alireza Zakani and several officials from the Islamic Republic traveled to Brussels last Sunday for a three-day visit to participate in the Metropolis General Assembly, an association of major world metropolises. His presence in Brussels was met with protests from a group of Iranians residing in Belgium. Olivier Vandecasteele, upon returning to Belgium, stated: 'We must work for the release of other hostages.' Iran and Belgium exchanged two prisoners; the Belgian aid worker and the imprisoned diplomat Assadollah Assadi were released. Darya Safaei told Voice of America: 'Assadi is a freed terrorist, and this day is a very bitter and dark day.'