Iran Rejects ‘Fabricated’ News about Iranian Diplomat Arrested in Belgium

“Such baseless reports are fabricated and published so as to be capitalized on in the future,” Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a Wednesday statement, describing such allegations as part of a media campaign.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the arrest of Mr Assadollah Assadi, an Iranian diplomat in Europe, as a move that is basically unlawful and in blatant violation of international practices and the contents of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” he said.

Accordingly, he added, Iran has already conveyed its strong official protest to relevant European authorities.

“We believe the violation of Mr Assadi's diplomatic immunity and his arrest and prosecution in Belgium is an unacceptable presedent. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs still considers the countries involved in this case to be responsible for violating the Iranian diplomat's rights, and reserves the right to a proportionate response,” Khatibzadeh added.