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S E C R E T MONTEVIDEO 000178 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT ALSO FOR INR/I AND WHA/BSC 
NSC FOR DFISK 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/20/2016 
TAGS: PINR PREL UY
SUBJECT: (S) IRANIAN DIPLOMATIC PRESENCE IN URUGUAY 
(C-NE6-00140) 
 
REF: STATE 26750 
 
Classified By: Charge D'Affaires James D. Nealon 
for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) 
 
¶1. (S/NF) This telegram responds to action requests in 
paragraph 2 of reftel. 
 
¶2. (S/NF) From the open source diplomatic list of officials 
at the Iranian Embassy in Montevideo: 
 
#¿NOMBRE?
   Spouse: Mrs. Fereshteh Faraji 
 
#¿NOMBRE?
   Spouse: Mrs. Seyedeh Fezeh Jafari (Hassani) 
 
#¿NOMBRE?
   Spouse: Mrs. Tayebeh Izadi (Moradi) 
 
#¿NOMBRE?
   Spouse: Mrs. Mahboubeh Sadat Vaghefi (Saheb Dadi) 
 
Diplomatic Activities and Level of Public Exposure 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶3. (S/NF) Iran maintains a small, four-person embassy in 
Uruguay. The embassy appears to be primarily dedicated to 
improving the growing commercial ties between Iran and 
Uruguay. Uruguay exports large (by its standards) quantities 
of rice and some ""halal"" meat products to Iran. Iranian 
diplomats attend diplomatic functions and third country 
national day celebrations at most embassies in Uruguay, 
although they have privately commented to U.S. diplomats that 
they are prohibited from direct contact with U.S. officials. 
 
¶4. (S/NF) The Iranian Embassy was opened in Uruguay after the 
Iranian mission was closed and at least one diplomat was 
charged in the 1992 and 1994 attacks against the Israeli 
embassy and the Argentina-Israel Mutual Association (AMIA) in 
Buenos Aires. 
 
¶5. (S/NF) The Iranian Embassy received some public scrutiny 
in October 2005 when Iranian President Ahmadi-Nejad publicly 
announced that Israel should be ""wiped off the map."" 
Uruguayan news media reporters parked outside the Iranian 
Embassy for several days, although the Iranians did not issue 
a public statement.  The local press criticized 
Ahmadi-Nejad's remarks, though the GOU's response mainly 
consisted of a relatively mild statement by the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs on its website underscoring Israel's right to 
exist. 
 
¶6. (S/NF) In early January 2006, the Iranian Embassy 
published a lengthy letter to the editor of the leading daily 
El Pais"" essentially rebutting a November 2005 article that 
had appeared in the newspaper.  The ""El Pais"" article alleged 
that U.S., Argentine, and Uruguayan authorities in 2001 had 
linked former Iranian Ambassador to Argentina Kambiz Jalali 
to the 1994 AMIA bombing. 
 
¶7. (S/NF) On February 20, 2006 President of Iran's 
Parliament, Gholmadi Haddad Adel visited Uruguay as part of a 
tour in the region.  He met with the President, 
Vice-President, the acting Foreign Minister and members of 
the Senate's International Affairs Committee.  The press 
reported that Adel tried to solicit support for Iran's 
peaceful"" nuclear program and deepen ties of amity and 
commerce.  Adel also maintained that over the last 25 years 
Iran had purchased some $3 billion in Uruguayan rice. (Note: 
This does not jibe with our trade figures, some of which 
appear below. Embassy estimates that rice exports to Iran 
over the last 25 years were less than $800 million. End note.) 
 
        Exports to Iran (in USD)       Imports From Iran 
 
 
 
2001    24,741,557                     19,293,776 
2002    38,768,359                        174,300 
2003    15,842,354                          1,315 
2004    52,195,390                    114,918,002 
2005    80,365,981                        721,506 
 
¶8. (S/NF) Comment: Uruguay's relationship with Iran is mainly 
based on its exports of high-priced quality rice. We detect 
that the Vazquez government is keenly aware of U.S. 
sensitivities on Iran and is careful to avoid the perception 
that its relationship goes beyond the commercial. For 
instance, we have noticed that newspaper articles featuring 
Iran are often accompanied on the same page by some pro-U.S. 
piece.  President Vazquez has supposedly agreed to visit 
Teheran, though no date has been set. We calculate that he is 
unlikely to make such a visit. End Comment. 
Nealon