Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman: Erdogan Has Cancer; Spokesperson Denies

The spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry described the remarks of Mohammad Javad Zarif's advisor regarding Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's cancer as 'incorrect.' Bahram Qasemi, on Wednesday, August 4, denied the statement made in the interview, stating that 'the basis of the Foreign Ministry's work is not to interfere in personal matters and to refrain from commenting on the leaders and senior officials of other countries.' These remarks from the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman were in response to an interview with Hossein Sheikh al-Islam, an advisor to the Iranian Foreign Minister, with the Tasnim news agency, in which he referred to the 'recurrence of cancer' in the Turkish president during one of his trips to Iran. In this interview published on August 4, Sheikh al-Islam stated: 'Erdogan came to Iran four years ago on the sixth of Farvardin. During a meeting with Larijani, a challenge arose between them, especially at that time when Erdogan's cancer had just recurred. In the discussions between him and Larijani about Syria, Erdogan became very angry in this meeting and slammed the table.' It appears that Tasnim news agency edited the text of this interview, removing the word 'cancer' and only referring to Erdogan's 'illness.' Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been the President of Turkey since August 2014. Prior to that, he served as the Prime Minister of Turkey for 11 years.