Iran Urges Saudi Arabia to Avoid Politicizing Coronavirus

TEHRAN (defapress) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi rejected Riyadh’s claim about the reason why the passports of Saudi nationals arriving in Iran are not stamped, urging Saudi Arabia not to politicize the coronavirus disease.

News ID: 80474

Date: 11 March 2020 - 11:32

Asked about Saudi Arabia’s claim that the passports of Saudi nationals are not stamped upon entry into Iran, Mousavi said on Tuesday, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already provided a description of the issue, and we are surprised that such quite simple subject has been once again mooted by Saudis.”

“We have already made it clear that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s regulations on issuing electronic visa are equal for the nationals of all countries except for the holders of British, American and Canadian passports, and attaching labels and issuing entry and exit stamps (in the passports) are avoided in conformity with the visa policy of many advanced countries,” he explained, according to the Foreign Ministry’s website.

Mousavi underlined that such a policy has nothing to do with the citizens of any particular country or with the coronavirus, and advised Saudi Arabia to refrain from politicizing the coronavirus disease and pinning the blame on others in this regard.

On Thursday, a Saudi official had criticized what he called Iran’s “irresponsible action” of granting Saudi citizens entry to its territories without stamping their passports, claiming that the country was responsible for the spread of the coronavirus.

Message end/