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U.S., Israel Not Invited to Iran’s Inauguration

Britain, however, has made the list

by
Adam Chandler
July 23, 2013
(AFP)
(AFP)

Iran is having a big party for the inauguration of its President-elect Hassan Rouhani, and the United States and Israel aren’t invited.

Spokesman Abbas Araghchi told a press conference Tuesday that leaders from all other countries, including Britain, have been invited to the swearing-in of Hasan Rouhani.



Araghchi had said on Sunday that all world leaders have been invited to the event, but his remarks Tuesday clarified that U.S. leaders are not in the welcome list. Iran also doesn’t recognize Israel.

So much for the moderate Hassan Rouhani’s new openness and reconciliation with the West. Doesn’t he realize how popular the first Farsi book about the history of the Holocaust is?

On the plus side for the American and Israeli would-be delegations, they don’t have to worry about going to Tehran in August.

Adam Chandler was previously a staff writer at Tablet. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Slate, Esquire, New York, and elsewhere. He tweets @allmychandler.