FM Spokesman: No Fresh News About three Iranian Mountaineers

Tehran, July 23, IRNA – Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said there are still no fresh news about the three Iranian mountaineers disappeared in the Himalayas. In answer to an IRNA question during his weekly press briefing here on Tuesday, he said that the Iranian embassies both in China and Pakistan are urgently following up the case of the three disappeared mountaineers who were trying to ascend to a Himalayas peak located between these two countries. Asked whether President-elect Hassan Rohani would assign the Foreign Ministry rather than the secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) to work on nuclear talks with the 5+1, he said SNSC is the body to make the final decisions on the nuclear issue while talks could be carried out by either of the bodies. Asked to comment on the Muslim Brotherhood’s demand for release of the ousted Egyptian president Muhammad Morsi from prison, Araqchi said Iran has already stated its views on the situation in the country clearly. He stated that Iran is in favor of maintaining unity and national security in Egypt through dialogue among its political leaders. He further referred to the telephone conversation between Iranian and Egyptian foreign ministers and said that the Egyptian minister welcomed continuation of interaction and cooperation between the two nations on such issues as Syria and Palestine./end