Iran MP: US virtual embassy, nonstarter
PRESS TV - An Iranian lawmaker has blasted Washington's move to open a virtual embassy for Iranians, saying it is illegal and will fail to win over the Islamic Republic's nationals, Press TV reports.
“This virtual embassy is illegal. It serves as further evidence that the US has made a huge mistake in dealing with Iran,” Fatemeh Ajorlou also noted, speaking to a Press TV correspondent in Tehran.
“Such a move is an indication of their sheer desperation and defeat,” she added.
The web-based embassy went online last Tuesday more than three decades after the closure of the US diplomatic mission in Tehran. On November 4, 1979, a group of revolutionary Iranian university students, who described themselves as 'Students Following the Line of Imam [Khomeini],' took over the US embassy in Tehran, insisting that it had turned into a hub of active espionage and scheming aimed at overthrowing the nascent Islamic Republic establishment.
The Iranian legislator went on to say that, “this virtual embassy is not intended to promote friendly ties or develop economic, cultural, and scientific relations.”
Ajorlou further pointed out that the Islamic Republic had to take legal action in the cyber sector to deal with the site because it was an attempt by Washington to meddle in Iran's internal affairs.
The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has claimed that Washington opened the virtual embassy to encourage dialogue with the Iranian people, but Iranian Foreign Ministry officials say the web-based venture is an attempt to spy on the Islamic Republic.
Commenting on the move, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on Wednesday, 'The US government's continuation of futile anti-Iran policies' demonstrated Washington's problem to “get the message from the Iranian nation,” who had already opted for 'independence, freedom, and the Islamic Republic.'