On Monday, Iran postponed a visit by an EU delegation to Tehran at the end of the week, saying there is “too little time to prepare”. No new date has been set.

The delegation, which includes Dutch MEPs from the democrats D66 and the small Orthodox Christian party, the SGP, was due to visit Iran from 8 to 11 January. The delegates would have met with Iranian MPs, representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as members of the country's political opposition. The European parliament organises visits to parliaments around the world every two years.

Death penalty
Bas Belder MEP of the SGP had asked the delegation organiser to postpone the visit on New Year’s Eve. He says, “We would have unwittingly legitimised the Iranian regime, as if there was nothing wrong. While members of the opposition are being arrested and even the speaker of the Iranian parliament has been calling for the death penalty for demonstrators.”

But he finds it difficult to believe that Iran “didn’t have enough time to prepare” as everything had been arranged. Even the visas had been issued.

Missed opportunity
D66 MEP Marietje Schaake is disappointed by the decision, “We wanted to speak with MPs and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as with the opposition. It’s a missed opportunity, now that it is not going ahead. It’s as if the Iranian regime is less willing to accept assistance and is turning away form the international community.”

It is difficult to keep contact with the people of Iran, now the situation has deteriorated. “Many members of the opposition are locked up in prison in terrible conditions. Internet contact is getting more and more difficult. That is why it is important that the European Union sends a signal of solidarity to the people.”

Social unrest
This is all against the backdrop of continued political and social unrest in Iran, following last year's disputed presidential election and the death of opposition leader Grand Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri in December.

Meanwhile Tehran has banned its citizens from having contact with 60 organisations including the BBC, Human Rights Watch, the opposition website Rahesabz and US-funded broadcasters. The government has also told the public to avoid "irregular contacts with embassies or foreign nationals”.

On Monday the Iranian government announced that a number of foreign citizens were arrested during opposition protests. It did not mention their country of origin.

Listen to an interview with MEP Marietje Schaake, a member of the European Parliament Delegation.

Photo: Anti-government protests in Iran - Flickr/Hamed Saber