Iranian Foreign Ministry statement on Australia’s decision to downgrade diplomatic relations with Iran

Pars Today – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in a statement, described the Australian government’s decision to reduce the level of diplomatic relations with Iran as inconsistent with the tradition of bilateral relations between the two countries.

The statement read: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with regret, considers the Australian government’s request for the Iranian ambassador and several diplomats to leave the country as unjustifiable and contrary to the tradition of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran completely rejects the allegation against Iran of promoting anti-Semitism and draws the attention of the Australian government to the historical and documented fact that anti-Semitism is fundamentally a Western-European phenomenon, which has manifested in various forms throughout history. Nevertheless, in recent years, this concept has been misused to suppress any form of protest against occupation, apartheid, and genocide against the Palestinian people.” / IRNA