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.



Thousands Protest Housing Crunch, High Rents in Barcelona

Demonstrators march to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Demonstrators march to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
TT

Thousands Protest Housing Crunch, High Rents in Barcelona

Demonstrators march to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Demonstrators march to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Thousands of Spaniards rallied in downtown Barcelona on Saturday to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in the popular tourist destination.
People held up homemade signs in Spanish reading “Fewer apartments for investing and more homes for living,” and “The people without homes uphold their rights.”
The issue has become one of the leading concerns for the southern European Union country, mirroring the housing crunch across many parts of the world.
The average rent for Spain has doubled in the last decade. The price per square meter has risen from 7.2 euros in 2014 to 13 euros this year, according to the popular online real estate website Idealista. The growth is even more acute in cities like Barcelona and Madrid. Incomes meanwhile have failed to keep up, especially for younger people in country with chronically high unemployment.
Protestor Samuel Saintot said he is “frustrated and scared” after being told by the owners of the apartment he has rented for the past 15 years in Barcelona’s city center that he must vacate the premises. He suspects that the owners want him out so they renovate it and boost the price.
“Even looking in a 20- or 30-kilometer radius outside town, I can’t even find anything within the price range I can afford,” he told The Associated Press. “And I consider myself a very fortunate person, because I earn a decent salary. And even in my case, I may be forced to leave town.”
A report by the Bank of Spain indicates that nearly 40% of Spaniards who rent dedicate an average of 40% of their income to paying rents and utilities, compared to the European Union average of 27% of renters in that strained economic circumstance.
“We are talking about a housing emergency. It means people having many difficulties both in accessing and staying in their homes,” said Ignasi Martí, professor for Esade business school and head of its Dignified Housing Observatory.