Foreign Minister of Spain José Manuel Albares on Thursday announced the “immediate” reopening of its embassy in Iran — a move that, according to the minister, seeks to “offer” Madrid’s help in peace talks between the U.S. and Iran through the ongoing two-week ceasefire period.
“Given the new situation and the fact that we have two weeks ahead of us, I have instructed the ambassador to Tehran to return, to resume his duties, and to reopen the Spanish Embassy in Tehran, so that we can contribute in every way possible — including from Iran’s capital — to this effort for peace,” Albares told reporters.
“We have two weeks ahead of us, during which we hope everyone will commit to negotiations, just as Spain has done from day one,” he reportedly asserted.
The Spanish public broadcaster RTVE explained Madrid temporarily closed its embassy in Tehran on March 7 after the start of the war in the Middle Easter country, instructing ambassador Antonio Sánchez-Benedit and the entire diplomatic mission to evacuate from the country.
Albares asserted that Spain aims to “join” in the upcoming U.S. – Iran peace talks to be hosted in Islamabad, Pakistan on Saturday by resuming its diplomatic activity in Tehran. The Minister reportedly revealed that he has held conversations with his Iranian counterpart to “convey Spain’s support for the mediation process.”
“During that conversation, he urged Iran to engage decisively in the negotiations, to cease attacks against Gulf countries, and to use its influence over Shiite militias in the region,” the Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideo Sa’ar highly criticized the decision, condemning it as an “eternal disgrace” through social media.
“The Iranian terror regime is resuming the execution of its citizens, protesters and political dissidents. Spain is reopening its embassy in Tehran,” Sa’ar said. “Hand in hand. With no shame. An eternal disgrace.”
Unnamed diplomatic sources from the Spanish Foreign Ministry in Madrid spoke with the Spanish newspaper ABC on Friday morning and expressed to be appalled by “such recklessness” from the Spanish government. ABC noted that Spain has become the first country to reopen its embassy in Tehran since the start of the war.
“It’s putting colleagues in danger for no good reason,” one source told ABC. “I don’t understand the reasoning,” he reportedly kept repeating.
“The minister must be pleased: our government is back at the forefront,” another source reportedly remarked with irony from the Foreign. “He [Foreign Minister Albares] keeps making decisions that are hard to understand, especially coming from a diplomat,” he continued.
The sources asserted to ABC that they believe it would have been more appropriate for Spain to “wait until a ceasefire was firmly in place” before reopening the embassy. According to ABC, the Spanish ambassador, another diplomat, and a Foreign Ministry officials will begin their return to Tehran from Madrid on Saturday.
“With Iranian airspace closed, they will have to take the same overland route they used to leave the country: they will arrive in Azerbaijan, rent a car there, and drive to Tehran,” ABC explained.
“If there are no bombings, they’ll make it. But if something happens… they will have been put in danger for no reason,” one source reportedly told ABC.
“In the name of ‘no to war,’ we’re going to be the first to send diplomats back to Iran,” another source warned, and expressed that they do not understand “the government’s eagerness to get along with Iran and thus act as a mediator in a conflict when we have no dialogue with Israel or the United States.”
“If Spain wants to contribute through its diplomatic efforts, it’s striking that it doesn’t want to join what other EU countries are doing,” the same source said. “It seems we want to go it alone and forget that we’re part of the EU. It gives the impression that the Spanish government only has influence with the Iranian government, and if it wants to contribute to peace, it needs to have influence on both sides of the conflict.”
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