Rouhani cancels Austria visit after opposition protest

The Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said the Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, cancelled his visit to Austria scheduled for 30 March, due to a protest in Vienna by the main Iranian opposition group, People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK).

“The Austrian authorities showed no interest in Rouhani’s guards request to revoke the license for the demonstration” Larijani told ISNA news agency.

“The host country did not take the necessary security measures,” he added.

Austria announced last week that President Rouhani has postponed a planned visit to Vienna for “security reasons”. The Austrian presidency statement did not elaborate on further details.