Iran Foreign Minister Briefly Detained In Cyprus

Iran’s Foreign Minister was reportedly briefly detained by airport officials during his trip to Cyprus because, according to the Cypriots, he was believed to be on the EU’s blacklist.

Turkish media report that Ali Akbar Salehi had travelled to Cyprus by invitation of his Cypriot counterpart. While the airport authorities insisted that Salehi could not enter Cypress because his name is on the EU blacklist, the Cypriot Foreign Minister swiftly arranged his release.

Ali Akbar Salehi is the former head of Iran’s Atomic Agency, and the Cypriot Foreign Ministry reportedly explained to the airport officials that, as Iran’s Foreign Minister, Salehi is no longer on the EU blacklist.

Reports indicate that Cyprus has officially apologized to Iran for the misunderstanding.

Salehi travelled to Cyprus two days ago. He had told the Mehr News Agency that the trip to Cyprus might be a good step toward improving relations with the European Union.

Cyprus, which has good relations with Iran, will assume the EU presidency on July 1.