Reaction to Israeli Journalist's Visit to Iran: 'No Responsibility on the Ministry of Culture'

Ten days after the report of an Israeli journalist from Iran was published, officials from the Ministry of Culture of the Islamic Republic announced that Orly Azulay, a journalist from the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, traveled to Iran with a tourist visa and an American passport. Orly Azulay published her observations and experiences from her two-week trip to Iran in the Israeli newspaper on Friday, April 14. In her report, she did not specify under what passport and name she traveled to Iran. She has lived in Washington for years and traveled from the U.S. to Iran. The visit of this Israeli journalist to Iran comes at a time when the Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize Israel, and media from that country are not allowed to operate in Iran. According to the state news agency IRNA, Ali Jannati, Iran's Minister of Culture, reacted to the visit of the Israeli journalist on Tuesday, April 24, saying: 'The trick they used was that she came to Iran as a tourist.' Hossein Nooshabadi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture, also pointed out that Ms. Azulay did not obtain a visa to travel to Iran as a journalist, adding that 'there is no responsibility on the Ministry of Culture in this regard.' Meanwhile, the Director General of Foreign Press and News Agencies at the Ministry of Culture stated that 'this individual is a U.S. citizen and her passport belongs to the United States.' According to the Mehr news agency, Mohammad Mansour Koshesh clarified: 'We are following up on this issue to determine whether she obtained her visa at the embassy or it was issued to her at the airport.' According to Mr. Koshesh, press cards for applicants traveling to Iran for journalistic activities are issued by the Ministry of Culture in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He emphasized: 'Considering that her visa was tourist and not journalistic, the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization will also address the issue to clarify the dimensions of the matter and resolve ambiguities.' However, Hamid Ziaei-Pour, the Director General of Public Relations at the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Iran, stated that this organization has 'no legal responsibility' regarding the issuance of visas and entry permits to the country. According to Mr. Ziaei-Pour, foreign tourists enter Iran by obtaining visas and entry permits from 'relevant authorities' and having their travel documents checked by the police at the borders.