Iran Rejects Netherlands’ Expulsion of Iranian Diplomats as Destructive

In a Saturday statement, Qassemi said the Iranian foreign minister’s assistant has already summoned the Dutch ambassador to Tehran and expressed the Islamic Republic’s severe protest to the ‘unfriendly’ move.

The spokesman said Iran is seeking to preserve and expand its relations with all states based on good-faith and mutual respect but at the same time, as a victim of terrorism, it once again calls for a resolute and indiscriminate fight by all members of the world community against terrorism.

Qassemi described the Dutch government’s decision to expel the Iranian diplomats as illogical and illegitimate, saying the Islamic Republic expects the Dutch officials to refrain from levelling baseless and absurd accusations against others.

The Netherlands is expected to remain committed to their international pledges to arrest and put on trial the terrorist elements for whom the Interpol has issued Red Notice, he added.

The spokesman also noted that the Netherlands’ government should explain about its move to shelter the criminal and terrorist members of the notorious anti-Iran terrorist group the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO), which has the blood of the Iranian people on their hands.

As earlier announced to the ambassador of the Netherlands, the Islamic Republic of Iran preserves the right to retaliate, he added.

The Netherlands has expelled two Iranian Embassy staff members from the country without giving a reason for the action.

“Two workers from the Iranian Embassy [in The Hague] were expelled from the Netherlands on June 7,” said a spokesman for Dutch intelligence AIVD.

The Dutch foreign ministry declined to comment on the issue.

The expulsion came as the foreign ministers of Iran and the parties to the Iran nuclear deal met in Vienna on July 6 to discuss ways to preserve the agreement in the wake of the US’ withdrawal.