Earl of Listowel
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Tehran: British Embassy
Earl of Listowel Excerpts(9 years, 2 months ago)
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Lord Wallace of Saltaire
My Lords, the noble Baroness will know that the Iranian Government are not simply a monolith. We negotiate on nuclear matters as well as on reopening the embassy with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There are other elements in the current Iranian regime which are not as easy to negotiate with or to gain assurances from as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Earl of Listowel (CB)
Following the question of the noble Baroness, Lady Symons, will the Minister also talk to the Iranian Government about the treatment of children?
Lord Wallace of Saltaire
We will certainly talk about the treatment of children and also about the treatment of religious minorities. We are all aware of the treatment of the Bahai, in particular, in Iran who have suffered very grievously because the Iranian Government recognise only Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism as religions alongside Islam. Other sects are considered heretical and some Christians are also persecuted within Iran.