Jordan: Foreign Ministry Won’t Name New Ambassador to Iran

Jordan: Foreign Ministry Won’t Name New Ambassador to Iran
TT

Jordan: Foreign Ministry Won’t Name New Ambassador to Iran

Jordan: Foreign Ministry Won’t Name New Ambassador to Iran

Reviewing current regional circumstances, Jordan announced deciding to not send an ambassador to Iran and opt for operating the Jordanian embassy with minimum staff.

A royal decree had approved the cabinet's decision on the transfer of Ambassador Abdullah Abu Rumman from the Jordanian embassy in Iran last May.

Abu Rumman told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Jordanian Foreign Ministry informed him of a decision to move him out of the Jordanian embassy in Tehran.

After the move being approved, the Ambassador said that he is currently awaiting a final decision concerning his services as a diplomat. 

“I am waiting for the decision of the ministry, either I will be appointed to another Jordanian embassy or I will remain an ambassador at the foreign ministry,” Abu Rumman said.

In the same context, an official source said that the decision to transfer Abu Rumman to the foreign ministry is based on a previous decision to summon him, stressing that “there is no intention to send a new ambassador to Iran.”

The source added that the decision comes as a confirmation of Jordan's rejection of Iranian regional policies and its interference in the affairs of the Arab countries, especially the Gulf states, stressing that “the security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries” is equivalent in importance of Jordan's national security.

The Jordanian government decided in April 2016 to summon the Jordanian ambassador to Tehran.

At the time which followed the signing of Iran's 5 + 1 nuclear deal, Jordan’s government had considered positions undertaken by the Iranian government as inconsistent with Jordanian broader hopes. 

During this period, Jordan says Iran and Tehran officials carried out an unacceptable behavior and intolerable interference in the internal affairs of fellow Arab countries, particularly the Gulf Arab states.

Denouncing Iranian behavior, Jordan said that Tehran’s approach leads to the creation of crises and deepening of regional instability, condemning blatant attacks carried out against the Saudi Arabian embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad.

The government concluded that an assessment was needed at this stage. In light of regional developments, the decision to summon the Jordanian ambassador to Tehran for consultations and the return of the ambassador from Tehran to Amman was required.



Islamabad Locked Down ahead of Protests Seeking ex-PM Imran Khan's Release

Police officers stand guard near their vehicles during a protest by Pakistani Shiite Muslims against an attack on passenger vehicles in Kurram, in Dera Ismail Khan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, 22 November 2024. EPA/SAOOD REHMAN
Police officers stand guard near their vehicles during a protest by Pakistani Shiite Muslims against an attack on passenger vehicles in Kurram, in Dera Ismail Khan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, 22 November 2024. EPA/SAOOD REHMAN
TT

Islamabad Locked Down ahead of Protests Seeking ex-PM Imran Khan's Release

Police officers stand guard near their vehicles during a protest by Pakistani Shiite Muslims against an attack on passenger vehicles in Kurram, in Dera Ismail Khan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, 22 November 2024. EPA/SAOOD REHMAN
Police officers stand guard near their vehicles during a protest by Pakistani Shiite Muslims against an attack on passenger vehicles in Kurram, in Dera Ismail Khan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, 22 November 2024. EPA/SAOOD REHMAN

Pakistan's capital was put under a security lockdown on Sunday ahead of protests by supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan calling for his release.
Highways leading to Islamabad through which supporters of Khan, led by members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, are expected to approach the city and gather near the parliament, have been blocked.
Most major roads of the city have also been blocked by the government with shipping containers and large contingents of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in riot gear, while mobile phone services have been suspended.
Gatherings of any sort have been banned under legal provisions, the Islamabad police said in a statement.
Global internet watchdog NetBlocks said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that live metrics showed WhatsApp messaging services had been restricted ahead of the protests.
A key Khan aid, Ali Amin Gandapur, who is the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and is expected to lead the largest convoy into Islamabad, called on people to gather near the entrance of the city's red zone, known as "D Chowk".
Islamabad's red zone houses the country's parliament building, important government installations, as well as embassies and foreign institutions' offices.
"Khan has called on us to remain there till all our demands are met," he said in a video message on Saturday.
The PTI's demands include the release of all its leaders, including Khan, as well as the resignation of the current government due to what it says was a rigged election this year.
Khan has been in jail since August last year and, since being voted out of power by parliament in 2022, faces a number of charges ranging from corruption to instigation of violence.
He and his party deny all the charges.
"These constant protests are destroying the economy and creating instability ... we want the political leadership to sit together and resolve these matters," Muhammad Asif, 35, a resident of Islamabad said in front of a closed market.
The last protest in Islamabad by PTI in early October turned violent with one policeman killed, dozens of security personnel injured and protesters arrested. Both sides accused the other of instigating the clashes.