Iranian Tehran Times daily published a strange story on Sunday about an Iranian governor telling an Armenian governor about Iran’s readiness to supply nuclear fuel to Armenia. As a colleague rightfully noted today, they could as well publish a story about an Iranian village mayor promising to sell long-range missiles to an Armenian village mayor. I mean – these things just don’t happen on the village mayor, governor or even prime-minister levels.
Strangely, the story was picked up by a range of Armenian and Azerbaijani media, ‘experts’ started commenting on what this meant, and so on and so forth… (examples: 1, 2, 3, 4). Is there something I don’t understand? Is this story really actually IMPORTANT?
URUMIA – Iran is ready to provide Armenia with nuclear fuel for its atomic power plant which is under construction in the city of Armavir, West Azarbaijan Province Governor General Rahim Qorbani said here on Saturday.
“In light of mastering the nuclear enrichment technology… the Islamic Republic of Iran is now ready to provide nuclear fuel for the neighboring countries’ power plants,” he said in a meeting with the governor general of Armavir in Urmia.
He also said the fact that many Armenian citizens live in West Azarbaijan Province can help expand relations between the two countries
🙂 Funny. I think the governor was trying to show that they do not care what the world says and will enrich their own uranium. He’s just following the party line but made an ass of himself while doing that.
RFE/RL followed up on this story, and from what Ashot Khahramanian, the governor or Armavir region says, it sound like it was just an expression of good wishes – not a discussion of the possibility to import nuclear fuel from Iran to Armenia.
Strangey, the story was blown-up by a strange degree.
http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/1787691.html