In the context of the war in the Middle East, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar today highlighted the decision of the government of Javier Milei to declare the chargé d'affaires of the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires, Mohsen Soltani Tehrani, a persona non grata and demand his departure from the country within 48 hours. 'I celebrate the decision of the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs to declare Mohsen Soltani Tehrani, chargé d'affaires of the Embassy of Iran in Argentina, a persona non grata, and to expel him from the country,' wrote the high-ranking Israeli official. The measure was disseminated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through a communiqué published by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, Pablo Quirno, and was shared on social media by President Javier Milei. The Ministry's resolution is a direct consequence of the Iranian communiqué that accused the Argentine government of its supposed 'international responsibility' for the proliferation of the conflict after Argentina declared the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization. The Iranian regime had 'strongly condemned the illegal and unjustified action of the Argentine government' and described the decision as 'an unforgivable offense to the Iranian people.' Furthermore, the declaration asserted that the measure 'generates international responsibility for the Argentine state' and attributed the decision to the influence of 'the United States and the occupying Zionist regime,' in reference to Israel. In the Argentine Ministry's statement, it is explained that the decision to expel the Iranian official was adopted 'in accordance with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961,' which allows a State to expel a foreign representative. The communiqué argues that the expulsion of Soltani Tehrani is due to 'the persistent refusal of the Iranian regime to cooperate with the Argentine judicial system in the investigation of the AMIA attack,' as well as to 'the appointment of persons wanted by the Argentine justice system to hold high positions in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).' The Argentine declaration also questions the sustained non-compliance with international arrest and extradition orders for the accused persons by the Argentine judiciary.
