Darius Homayon, the Minister of Information of Iran, has hinted that relations between his country and Israel would grow closer if present Middle East developments lead to a peace settlement. Homayon was quoted in Yediot Achronot as saying: “The developments in the Middle East will have, no doubt, positive implications on the Israeli-Iranian relations. I believe that these relations will be different from what they are today.”
While Israel and Iran have trade ties there have never been formal diplomatic relations between the two countries. Homayon was interviewed by Yediot correspondent Ilan Kfir who was in Teheran over the weekend to cover the meetings between President Carter, the Shah and King Hussein of Jordan.
According to Yediot, Homayon said that Iron was conscious of the great importance of peace to the entire Middle East. “We shall make every possible effort to enhance the peace momentum. We are in the picture of developments and maintain contact with the parties. We shall encourage all our friends to help this process and not remain with folded hands,” he said.
Yediot reported that the minister attributed the changed atmosphere in the Middle East to Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s visit to Jerusalem in November. “We must not let this change fade out,” he said.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
