TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran's Judiciary Chief Sadeq Amoli Larijani blasted German Vice-Chancellor and Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel for his statements that Iran needs to recognize Israel, and said the foreign ministry should have placed a ban on his visit to Tehran. "The German economy minister has made incorrect and illogical comments and said that if Iran wants to open way for trade interactions, it should recognize Israel. Apparently, he is asleep and doesn’t know that Iran has tolerated abundant pressures for the sake of its beliefs for over 30 years to resist against such demands," Amoli Larijani said, addressing high-ranking judiciary officials in Tehran on Monday.
Stressing that Iranian officials don’t allow such people to interfere in the country's internal affairs, he said, "Were I in the place of the government and the foreign minister, I would not allow this minister (Gabriel) to visit Iran."
His remarks came as Gabriel arrived in Tehran on Sunday.
Ahead of the visit, he told Der Spiegel that Germany could not move ahead with full normalization of ties until the Iranian government accepted Israel’s right to exist.
Also, in July 2015, Gabriel had warned at the start of a three-day visit to Tehran that Berlin could not accept Iran’s questioning of Israel’s right to exist, and that such attitudes could harm business relations between the two countries.
He also said Germany would be willing to mediate between the two enemies.
Gabriel was among the first Western leaders to lead a delegation to Tehran following the removal of key nuclear-related sanctions. Germany seeks to reclaim its former position as one of Iran’s major trading partners.