Statement: Rejection of the baseless claims by the government of Colombia regarding Iran

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while fully rejecting the baseless claims of the Government of Colombia against the Islamic Republic of Iran, strongly condemns the accusations leveled against a part of Iran’s official armed forces.

The Government of Colombia’s action in making baseless accusations against Iran and simultaneously announcing the severance of diplomatic relations—which have a history of more than half a century—is contrary to the principle of mutual respect and incompatible with the interests and benefits of the two nations. It is clear that none of the claims raised by the Government of Colombia to justify this decision are valid or logical, and that this decision has been taken solely under the influence of the Zionist regime and the United States.

The Government of Colombia, which, according to undeniable documents and evidence, has been heavily under the influence of drug-producing and drug-trafficking cartels and is in practice considered part of the sinister network of narcoterrorism in the American continent and beyond, is in no position whatsoever to preach to others about terrorism and narcotics. Such hypocritical deflection cannot absolve the Colombian Government of its international responsibility for participating in the trafficking of large shipments of narcotics to various parts of the world, including to Iran. The seizure in Tehran in late September of a 55-kilogram shipment of pure Colombian cocaine, which had been trafficked directly to Iran by a network linked to influential Colombian individuals, is one of the most recent discovered cases of transnational organized crime attributable to the Government of Colombia. It was expected that the relevant authorities of the Colombian Government, instead of reacting hastily to this matter, would cooperate within the framework of their international legal obligations to identify the principal elements involved in the trafficking of this shipment and similar shipments to Iran and other countries in the region.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, in order to safeguard its national interests, will take the necessary measures in response to this unjustified and hostile approach by the Government of Colombia.