Iran General NewsCongress researcher says barred from Iran

Congress researcher says barred from Iran

-

Reuters: A researcher for the U.S. Congress was turned back en route to Iran for a security conference when his visa was rescinded at the last moment, he said on Monday. WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A researcher for the U.S. Congress was turned back en route to Iran for a security conference when his visa was rescinded at the last moment, he said on Monday.

Kenneth Katzman, senior Middle East expert with the Congressional Research Service, which conducts research for Congress, said he believed that Iranians opposed to engagement with the United States had barred him from the event.

“Perhaps the anti-engagers threatened to have their people turn me back at Tehran airport. The conference organizers were forced by this pressure to back down and tell me not to come,” Katzman told Reuters.

Katzman had been invited to the conference sponsored by the Iranian foreign ministry’s thinktank and Tehran University.

The United States and Iran have not had formal diplomatic ties since the 1979 Islamic revolution and relations have grown steadily more tense in recent years because of disputes over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and support for Islamic militants such as Hizbollah.

Katzman said it was the first time a U.S. government representative had been invited to the conference, which focused on security in the Gulf.

He only found out his visa had been rescinded while he was waiting for a connecting flight in Frankfurt airport.

By contrast, the Bush administration gave former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami an unrestricted visa to visit the United States this month, including stops in New York, Chicago, and Washington for speeches and news conferences.

“Clearly there is a faction with a lot of power that does not want engagement with the U.S.,” Katzman said.

Katzman said he did not believe his academic paper, which was submitted in advance, was the problem. It talked about new security arrangements in the Gulf, including possibly bringing NATO, Russia and China into the mix.

Latest news

 Statistics show that New Year accidents’ deaths in Iran reached 585

Ahmad Shirani, the head of the Information and Traffic Control Center of the Iranian regime’s police, announced that the...

Land Subsidence in Critical Conditions in Isfahan

Mehdi Toghyani, a member of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament), pointed to the occurrence of land subsidence in various...

Iran’s Actual Inflation Rate Higher Than Official Stats

The state-run Donya-e-eqtesad newspaper, in a report analyzing the "general sentiment" regarding inflation in 2023, has stated that households...

Iranian Workers’ Monthly $136 Wages Can’t Cover $500 Expenses

The lives of a significant portion of the Iranian population are marked by uncertainty, largely because the Iranian economy...

Iranian Nurses Earn Twice Their Wages in Ride-Hailing Services

Reza Aryanpour, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) Health and Treatment Commission, highlighted the growing trend of nurses...

Iran: Unprecedented Record of 152 Million Liters of Gasoline Consumption Per Day

On March 19, Iran set a new historical record in gasoline consumption with 152 million liters consumed in one...

Must read

Iran authorities lash man for having bible in car – report

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Aug. 13 – Iranian authorities...

Iran security forces arrest dozens in northern province

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Jun. 01 – Iranian State...

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you