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Washington • Some Iranian officials are raising concerns about a visit to Tehran by Utah state Sen. Jim Dabakis at the same time the leader of the Islamic Revolution is warning against negotiations with the United States.
The Tehran Times reported last weekend that the chairman of a Parliament committee was unaware Dabakis had visited Iran and another panel member referred to a "secret trip" by what the news outlet falsely called a "U.S. senator." Dabakis is a Democratic state senator representing a Salt Lake City district and is the Legislature's only openly gay member. Homosexuality is a crime punishable by death in Iran.
"The intelligence minister will be questioned for that," Mohammad Javad Karimi Ghoddousi said about Dabakis' visit.
The questions about Dabakis' visit, as reported by the Tehran news outlet, coincide with a comment from Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said Sunday that holding talks with the United States is not beneficial to the country but actually harmful. The leader said the negotiations between U.S. officials and Iran would not reduce hostilities and would lay the groundwork for "infiltration."
"One of the important elements of the Islamic Republic's soft power is absolute distrust of domineering powers with the U.S. at the top, and this distrust should be increased day by day," the Ayatollah said, according to the news outlet, which considers itself the voice of the Islamic Revolution.
The semiofficial Iranian news agency Tasnim, which is close to the Revolutionary Guard, seized on the interview, according to The Washington Post. It quoted a hard-line lawmaker Sunday who described Dabakis' visit as "part of a major Western project to infiltrate into the country."
Dabakis said, for his part, that he was invited by an Iranian official and checked with the U.S. State Department to ensure it was safe to go. He said he was not visiting as a representative of the U.S. or Utah governments and went as a private citizen.
"There was nothing nefarious about it," Dabakis said. "I got an invitation and a visa and I went and talked about Utah and invited a delegation here and another delegation in May of another group of Utahns [to visit Tehran]. I'm not sure that's on anymore."
Dabakis said he feels lucky he had left the country before other officials started raising concerns with his visit but that he chalks up the issue as an internal feud between factions within Iran.
"I think it has something to do with the internal political affairs in Iran," he said. "I'm just glad I got out."