Questioning Israel’s right to exist ‘unacceptable,’ Austrian chancellor warns Iran’s Rouhani

The Austrian chancellor told Iran’s visiting president on Wednesday that the European nation is unconditionally committed to Israel’s security.

By: World Israel News Staff

At a meeting in Vienna at which Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was given an opportunity to try to resuscitate the 2015 nuclear deal, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz chided Rouhani over the Iranian Republic’s belligerent stance on Israel.

Specifically, Kurz announced at a joint press conference with Rouhani that he considers it “absolutely unacceptable” to question Israel’s right to exist or to demand the destruction of the Jewish state, reported Times of Israel.

The meeting and press conference was held against the backdrop of Tehran’s central role in various conflicts in the Middle East. By funding and arming terror organizations such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis, in addition to the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip, Iran wages proxy wars in a number of nations in the region.

Iran has also established a significant presence in Syria, fortifying the regime of brutal dictator Bashar Al-Assad and also attempting to amass military assets close to Israel’s borders.

In addition, to addressing Iran’s position on Israel, Kurz also spoke out against Holocaust denial, a recurring them for political and religious leaders in the Islamic Republic.

“In my meeting with President Rouhani I emphasized that Israel’s security is non-negotiable for us. Questioning Israel’s right to exist or downplaying the Holocaust is absolutely unacceptable,” Kurz tweeted soon after the meeting.

Rouhani’s Austrian visit was largely overshadowed by the arrest of an Iranian diplomat related to an alleged bomb plot targeting anti-regime activists in Paris.

With regard to that development, Austrian officials announced the legal immunity of Vienna-based diplomat Assadollah Assadi would be revoked. Assadi was detained Sunday on a European arrest warrant after powerful explosives were found in Belgium in a vehicle owned by a couple with Iranian roots.

Assadi was accused by Belgian authorities of being involved in the plot to target a Paris rally, after which the Iranian ambassador to Austria was summoned to the foreign ministry.

While Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif dismissed the plot as a “false flag ploy,” Iran’s involvement in terror operations around the globe are the basis on which the US designates it as one of the world’s leading state sponsors of terror.

As Iran’s economy and currency approach a potentially irreparable crisis, Iranian protesters have taken to the streets to demand an end to unchecked military spending and the regime’s vast terror-financing operations.

Iranian exiles have also taken up the protesters’ banner, demanding regime change from abroad in cities such as Paris.

rouhaniSebastian Kurz