Iran Parliament Speaker Delivers Khamenei’s Letter for Putin to Duma Chairman

Chairman of the State Duma Viacheslav Volodin and Speaker of the 0arliament of Iran Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. (State Duma)
Chairman of the State Duma Viacheslav Volodin and Speaker of the 0arliament of Iran Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. (State Duma)
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Iran Parliament Speaker Delivers Khamenei’s Letter for Putin to Duma Chairman

Chairman of the State Duma Viacheslav Volodin and Speaker of the 0arliament of Iran Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. (State Duma)
Chairman of the State Duma Viacheslav Volodin and Speaker of the 0arliament of Iran Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. (State Duma)

Chairman of Russian’s State Duma Viacheslav Volodin received Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who delivered a letter from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to President Vladimir Putin.

The media office of the State Duma asserted the importance of the visit in terms of continued coordination between both states, adding that Volodin delivered the message to the Russian president.

Iranian ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali said the Speaker's first visit to a foreign country since his appointment confirms the importance Tehran attaches to ties with Moscow, adding that bilateral relations are constantly being developed in various fields.

Jalali indicated that Qalibaf's visit will certainly boost coordination with Tehran in various areas.

Before his meeting with Volodin, Qalibaf called for consolidating the relations between the two countries, noting that they share many common factors in bilateral, regional and international fields.

He explained that one of the most important goals of his visit is to reassure officials that ties between Tehran and Moscow will not be affected by global developments.

Prior to the visit, Iranian media reported that the Russian authorities wanted the speaker to first self-isolate for 15 days before meeting Putin, which Qalibaf rejected.

However, a Russian diplomat said that the visit was successfully organized by the two parties, noting that the protocol requires that the speaker be received by the Duma chairman.

Khamenei “has always underlined our strategic relations with Russia…. One of the outstanding aspects of this visit is that I’m carrying an important message about strategic issues,” Qalibaf said, without elaborating.

In Tehran, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said it was regrettable the way some dealt with such an important visit of by the speaker who was conveying a message from the supreme leader.

Khatibzadeh denied any prior agreement to meet Putin, saying the president has special protocols in place for foreign receptions given the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, the conservative Islami Jamhoori newspaper criticized Qalibaf for visiting Russia despite Putin's refusal to receive him, deeming the president’s behavior “an insult to Iran and the republic's regime.”

The newspaper argued in its editorial that Putin was upset with Iranian officials because of their view of the West, stressing that his refusal to receive Qalibaf, even though he was conveying a message from Khamenei, is definitely an offense to Iran and the regime.

Aftab Yazd newspaper stated that Putin’s behavior must not be forgotten, defending Qalibaf as the speaker of parliament, which represents the Iranian people.



Israel's Netanyahu Arrives in Hungary, Defying ICC Warrant

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters next to the US house speaker at the US Capitol in Washington, US, February 7, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters next to the US house speaker at the US Capitol in Washington, US, February 7, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
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Israel's Netanyahu Arrives in Hungary, Defying ICC Warrant

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters next to the US house speaker at the US Capitol in Washington, US, February 7, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters next to the US house speaker at the US Capitol in Washington, US, February 7, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Budapest early Thursday on his first trip to Europe since 2023 and in defiance of the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s arrest warrant against him.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban extended an invitation to Netanyahu last November, a day after the ICC issued the arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Orban vowed the EU member would not execute the warrant, despite being an ICC member, saying the court's decision "intervenes in an ongoing conflict... for political purposes".

"Welcome to Budapest, Benjamin Netanyahu!" wrote Hungary's Defense Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky on Facebook as Netanyahu began his visit, and after greeting him at the airport in capital Budapest.

Netanyahu was welcomed with military honors, after which he will hold talks with Orban.

A joint news conference is expected around 12:30 pm (1030 GMT).

'Legal obligation'

Experts say the Israeli premier, who is scheduled to stay in Hungary until Sunday, is trying to diminish the impact of the court's decision, while hoping to drive attention away from tensions at home as he meets like-minded ally Orban.

"His ultimate goal is to regain the ability to travel wherever he wants," Moshe Klughaft, an international strategic consultant and former advisor to Netanyahu, told AFP.

"At first, he's flying to places where there's no risk of arrest, and in doing so, he's also paving the way to normalize his future travels."

Germany's chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz in February vowed to make sure Netanyahu can visit his country.

The Hungary trip "goes hand in hand with US sanctions against the ICC," Klughaft said, referring to the punitive measures US President Donald Trump imposed in February over what he described as "illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel".

The ICC, based in The Hague, stressed it would be Hungary's "legal obligation" and "responsibility towards other state parties" to enforce the court's decisions.

"When states have concerns in cooperating with the court, they may consult the court in a timely and efficient manner," ICC spokesman Fadi El-Abdallah said.

"However, it is not for states to unilaterally determine the soundness of the court's legal decisions," he added.

Hungary signed the Rome Statute, the international treaty that created the ICC, in 1999 and ratified it two years later during Orban's first term in office.

The ICC, set up in 2002, has no police of its own and relies on the cooperation of its 125 member states to carry out any arrest warrants.

However, Budapest has not promulgated the associated convention for constitutional reasons and therefore asserts it is not obliged to comply with the decisions of the ICC.

Hungary has also repeatedly floated leaving the ICC -- like Burundi and the Philippines -- and has already decided to do so, Radio Free Europe reported on Wednesday, citing diplomatic sources.

Increasing pressure

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes -- including starvation as a method of warfare -- in Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

The war was sparked by the militant Palestinian group's attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.

After Orban invited him, Netanyahu responded by thanking his counterpart for showing "moral clarity".

During the visit, Orban is expected to support Netanyahu on Trump's proposal to relocate more than two million Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries such as Egypt and Jordan.

Netanyahu's trip comes as he faces increasing pressure over his government's attempts to replace both the domestic security chief and attorney general, while expanding the power of politicians over the appointment of judges.

"One of Netanyahu's methods is controlling the Israeli agenda," Klughaft said, adding that the Hungary visit gives him a chance to set the conversation for days.

"In such a turbulent period, that's worth a lot to him."

In the past, some top leaders wanted by the ICC have thumbed their noses at the court and travelled to member states with impunity.

Mongolia ignored an ICC warrant last year when it welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin for a state visit.

Putin is accused of war crimes for the alleged illegal deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children since the Russian invasion in 2022.