THE IRANIAN DIPLOMATIC PRESENCE IN ARGENTINA

S E C R E T BUENOS AIRES 000746

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR INR/I

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2016
TAGS: PINR PREL AR
SUBJECT: THE IRANIAN DIPLOMATIC PRESENCE IN ARGENTINA
(C-NE6-00140)

REF: STATE 26750

Classified By: AMBASSADOR LINO GUTIERREZ, FOR REASON 1.4 (B)


1. (S) Reftel asked the Embassy to forward the most current
records of official Iranian diplomatic representation in
Argentina. Poloffs visited the MFA March 30 and spoke with
Minister Bibiana Jones and Maria Ruth de Goicochea of the
Office of Northern Africa and The Middle East. MFA officials
confirmed that the Iranian Diplomatic presence in Argentina
consists of Charge d'affaires Mr. ohammad Ali Tabatabaei
Hasan and Third Secretary Mr. Bahram Saifzadeh Sani Garmrood.
Likewise, the Argentine Mission in Tehran consists of a
Charge and one other diplomat.


2. (S) MFA officials told Poloffs that Argentina's
bilateral relationship with Iran remains tenuous since the
1994 Argentina-Israel Mutual Association (AMIA) bombing. MFA
contact with the Iranian Charge has been limited to consular
issues. In the last two years, the Iranian Embassy had on
two occasions requested concurrence from the MFA for the
visit of high-level Iranian officials to Argentina to discuss
IAEA issues. On both occasions, the MFA declined the
proposed visit, maintaining that IAEA issues should be
discussed in Vienna.

GUTIERREZ