Rouhani's Official Invitation to Erdogan; Efforts in Parliament to Cancel the Visit

While Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to visit Tehran on Tuesday of this week, reports indicate that some members of parliament are collecting signatures to prevent the Turkish President from entering Iran. According to the Fars News Agency and the official website of the Iranian presidency, the Turkish President will arrive in Tehran on April 18 at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, leading a high-level delegation. A joint press statement released in Tehran and Ankara ahead of this visit stated that during this trip, the two presidents and some ministers from both countries will meet and negotiate, and arrangements have been made for Erdogan to meet with Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran. All of this comes as some members of parliament and political factions are seeking to prevent the Turkish President's visit to Iran. In this regard, the representative from Rasht in the Islamic Consultative Assembly announced in an interview with Fars News Agency that on April 16, a letter to prevent Erdogan's entry into Iran has been signed by more than 50 members of parliament, and the collection of signatures is ongoing. Jabbar Kuchakinejad stated that 'Erdogan has insulted the Iranian people,' adding, 'The President must prevent Erdogan from entering Iranian territory, and Erdogan must officially apologize for the insult he has made against the Iranian people.' Last week, the Turkish President accused Iran of attempting to dominate the Middle East, stating that Tehran's efforts have 'exasperated' Ankara, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf Arab states. These remarks prompted a group of conservative members of the Iranian parliament to call for the cancellation of Erdogan's visit, which was met with a reaction from the government in Tehran, rejecting the possibility of canceling the trip. This will be the first visit of a Turkish President to Tehran in nearly three years, and Erdogan will be accompanied by a high-level delegation for cooperation between Iran and Turkey.