Foreign Ministry Official Denies Iran-Israel 'Cooperation' in an Organization

An official from the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry described a Reuters report about 'cooperation between Iran and Israel' at a meeting six months ago of the 'Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization' held in Jordan as 'fabrication' and 'distortion of facts.' According to Tasnim News Agency, this official, speaking anonymously on Wednesday, April 26, emphasized that the report 'is fundamentally untrue.' He also stated that the presence of 'no other participants' at an international meeting was a reason for Iran's withdrawal or an obstacle to its active participation in international meetings. According to this Foreign Ministry official, the Islamic Republic's presence and participation in international meetings and related technical sessions does not imply cooperation or endorsement of other participants in these meetings. Reuters reported on Monday that Iranian and Israeli nuclear experts sat at the same table during the 'Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization' meeting in Jordan and shared dinner together with other regional experts, including Egyptian experts. The Israeli news network i24 and the French news agency also reported on Monday, April 24, that representatives of Iran and Israel had 'chatted' with each other at this conference. The report noted that the seating arrangement at international conferences is determined alphabetically, and Israeli representatives are always seated next to Iranian representatives after Iraqi representatives. Lassina Zerbo, a senior official of the 'Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization,' told Reuters that such occurrences are not unusual and that professional interactions happen at technical expert meetings. According to Mr. Zerbo, in many cases, technical experts agree on specialized principles. The anonymous Iranian Foreign Ministry official, referring to the Jordan meeting held six months ago with more than 364 top scientists and experts from over 53 countries, added that the representatives of the Islamic Republic participated in technical discussions 'while maintaining their principled and political positions to achieve national goals.' The 'Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization' meeting was held in Jordan with the presence of Israeli and Iranian delegations, even though both countries are not members of this organization. The aim of this organization is to monitor and oversee the nuclear facilities of member states. Iran and Israel had previously participated in a scientific conference related to nuclear issues in November 2010, held under the so-called 'Sassami' Council in Jordan, and had confirmed their attendance. Reports indicate that Iran had committed to covering part of the costs of this scientific project aimed at establishing electronic research facilities in Jordan. The 'Sassami' entity was established following the initial peace treaties between Israel and the Palestinians in the 1990s in Norway.