Amman, March 16: An Iranian lawmaker says a visit by Jordanian King Malik Abdullah II to Iran to attend Nowruz celebrations has been cancelled over “intense popular opposition”.
“This trip has been called off due to intense popular opposition and the opposition of decision-making institutions,” Mahmoud Ahmadi Bighash, member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Iran’s Parliament (Majlis), told Fars News Agency on Tuesday.
“Malik Abdullah’s trip [to Iran], which … has been cancelled, could delay the downfall of Jordan’s dictatorial regime,” Ahmadi Bighash added.
Earlier, the Iranian lawmakers expressed their opposition to the Jordanian King’s planned visit to Tehran, saying the trip would run counter to Iran’s national interests.
In recent weeks, thousands of Jordanians have staged peaceful protest rallies in the capital Amman and other cities, calling for political and economic reforms.
Protesters demanded that the country’s prime minister be democratically elected rather than appointed by the King.
——–Agencies