Iran summoned the Dutch ambassador to Tehran Emiel de Bont on Thursday to protest against the alleged “smuggling” of banned equipment. The Iranian state news agency IRNA reported this on Thursday.
Last Tuesday, the Netherlands summoned the Iranian ambassador after a Dutch diplomat was forced to hand over his luggage at Tehran airport at the end of January. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the seizure “unacceptable” because, according to The Hague, Tehran violated the Vienna Convention (1961), which, among other things, stipulates that diplomatic mail may not be opened by authorities of the host country.
Moreover, the Iranian reading of the seizure was “factually incorrect,” the Foreign Ministry said. According to Iranian media, which also published images of the seizure, the ambassador first refused to have his luggage scanned and the customs officer then found “forbidden equipment”, including a Starlink modem and satellite phones. In Iran, the internet has been almost completely blocked by the regime for weeks.
According to Iran, there has been no violation of the Vienna Convention. Diplomats may enjoy immunity, but are obliged to respect the laws of the host country, according to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, IRNA writes.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not able to respond on Thursday evening.
