Politics Iranian President meets Israeli professor in New York

During his visit to New York, Iranian President Massud Peseshkian unexpectedly met an Israeli professor. Lior Sternfeld, a researcher at Pennsylvania State University, confirmed the meeting in the USA to the German Press Agency. "The meeting was interesting, and I hope that the Iranian president will be able to lead Iran to a constructive role in bringing peace to the Middle East," the Israeli professor said. The conversation took place within the framework of an interfaith dialog. Iranian media did not report on the meeting.

Since the 1979 revolution, Israel has been considered an arch-enemy of the Islamic Republic. Contacts with Israeli citizens can sometimes lead to accusations of espionage in Iran. Iran's sports associations, for example, prohibit their members from competing against Israelis. However, apart from the enmity on a political level, most Iranians have no problem with Israelis. Tehran is also home to the largest Jewish community outside of Israel in the Middle East, with numerous synagogues.

After the outbreak of the Gaza war almost a year ago, the conflict between Israel and the Islamic Republic threatened to escalate several times. During the election campaign, Peseshkian had announced that he would strive for better relations with the West. However, he also rejects normalization with Israel. Sternfeld, a historian who is intensively involved with Judaism in Iran, has written critical articles about Israel's conduct of the war in recent months.

SDA