Iran's Foreign Ministry Attempts to Distance Itself from Former Ambassador's Statements

The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued an official statement on Wednesday, February 3, attempting to distance itself from the remarks of Ali Majidi, the former Iranian ambassador to Germany, who is now retired. Majidi commented on the accusations of 'assassination and espionage' that some European countries have directed at the Islamic Republic, stating, 'The Europeans have presented documents regarding the claims they have made, which we cannot easily dismiss.' He added, 'We are facing issues such as unilateral operations within the country; can we deny that similar incidents do not occur outside the country? Operations that undermine trust.' In response to these comments, the Iranian Foreign Ministry labeled the former ambassador's statements as his 'personal opinions' and claimed that he emphasized that these operations are likely carried out by hostile groups abroad in a way that implicates Iran. However, in an interview published by ISNA, Majidi did not mention such a topic but was the first Iranian official to speak of the existence of documents regarding the accusations from European countries against the Islamic Republic, considering 'rogue elements' involved in these matters. According to Majidi, Iran must maintain a sense of trust between itself and European countries so that 'if individuals, for example, the Mojahedin-e Khalq [MEK], carry out some sabotage operations in the name of Iran, we should be able to prove it.' He explicitly stated, 'I do not want to elaborate on the issues, but these events have caused European trust in Iran to erode. With two or three wrong actions, the trust that was being built has been destroyed. Those who believe that they can secure the national interests of the country through certain operations or recklessness must be told clearly that their perception is wrong, and their actions are not in line with increasing Iran's power but are against it.' Majidi added, 'There must be enough control in our security apparatus regarding these matters to ensure that no one inside the country is carrying out such actions, and if a few Iranians abroad are acting in the name of Iran, we must be able to prove this.' Nevertheless, the Iranian Foreign Ministry advised 'foreign media and certain known expatriates' who, according to this statement, 'have made their own interpretations of this interview' not to be 'overjoyed and attribute their heartfelt wishes to others.' Last July, while Hassan Rouhani was making efforts to save the 'JCPOA' during a trip to Switzerland and Austria, it was reported that an Iranian diplomat based in Vienna was arrested in Germany (a country outside his place of service) on charges of assisting a couple who intended to bomb a National Council of Resistance gathering in Paris. Recently, the arrest of an individual named 'Abdulhamid,' a translator and cultural advisor working in the German army on suspicion of espionage for Iran, has also made headlines. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has denied these accusations, stating that the arrested individual has no connection to Iran. The Albanian Foreign Ministry has also expelled two Iranian diplomats for being involved in illegal activities that jeopardized Albania's security, and Denmark and the Netherlands have also directed accusations at the Islamic Republic in this regard. In response to these accusations and the announcement of new sanctions, Iran has announced a 'review of its intelligence and security cooperation' with EU member states and 'reciprocal actions' against Europe.