Ministry of Culture Opposes German Orchestra Conductor's Presence in Iran

The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance announced that it will not allow Daniel Barenboim, the famous German orchestra conductor, to enter Iran due to his Israeli citizenship. According to AFP, the 72-year-old Barenboim, who is the conductor at the State Opera House in Berlin, announced on Thursday that he is in talks with Iranian officials for a concert in Iran. Mr. Barenboim is multinational and holds Palestinian and Argentine citizenship as well. According to ISNA, Hossein Nooshabadi, the spokesman for the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, stated on Sunday, September 8, that 'Iran has no objection to the presence of the German national orchestra in the country, provided that the management and conductor of this orchestra, who holds Israeli citizenship, is changed.' He added, 'Wherever we feel there is a suspicion of affiliation with the Zionist regime regarding individuals in the context of an artistic, sports, or tourism team, we will take action.' Hossein Nooshabadi stated, 'A request was received from the German national orchestra to travel to Iran and perform in the country, and simultaneous with that, various investigations were conducted with the help of relevant institutions. Our investigations showed that the leader of this group has a national and identity affiliation to Israel, grew up in Israel, and his parents also live there; therefore, there was a suspicion of affiliation with that country, which we consider an illegitimate state.' He also mentioned, 'There have been claims that the conductor of the German national orchestra, despite being an Israeli citizen, has objections to this regime. However, this has not been proven, and we are not pursuing it. We do not oppose the essence of the German orchestra's trip to Iran, but our objection is to the person who leads this group, an individual who is multi-national and one of his nationalities is Israeli.' Hossein Nooshabadi continued, 'We made this decision to prevent any harm or incident; however, the German national orchestra can resubmit its request with a change of its director.' Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German Foreign Minister, who is scheduled to visit Tehran next month, has stated that he supports the performance of the German orchestra in Iran. However, this decision has drawn criticism from Israeli officials, with 'Miri Regev,' the Israeli Minister of Culture, announcing her intention to send a letter of protest regarding this matter to the Chancellor of Germany. Hossein Nooshabadi also reacted to this, saying, 'We do not know what the behind-the-scenes game of the Zionists is and are not aware of the motives of some officials of the Zionist regime regarding the issue and dissatisfaction with the presence of the German national orchestra in Iran. Nevertheless, we know the official policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the principled and solid positions that are part of our beliefs and the general policies of the system, and we act accordingly.'