A career American diplomat came to Tehran Sunday, but it raised only a few eyebrows.
Jeffrey Feltman, 54, was not in town representing the United States, but rather as the Number Two man in the United Nations secretariat, where he is the under secretary general for political affairs and chief deputy to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
But before Feltman was assigned to the UN in June 2012, he was the US assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs for three years and before that the US ambassador to Lebanon.
His trip to Iran this week was Feltman’s second visit to the Islamic Republic as a UN official. Last September, he visited along with Ban and had the unusual experience of meeting with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenehi, perhaps the only American ever to enjoy an audience with Khamenehi.
On this trip, Feltman met with Foreign Minister Moham-mad-Javad Zarif and Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad-Mehdi Akhundzadeh.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said Feltman was told that any foreign intervention in Syria would cause hard consequences not only for Syria, but the whole region as well.
Reporters pestered Araqchi with queries about receiving an American at the Foreign Ministry. _”Feltman’s visit to Iran has nothing to do with his nationality or diplomatic duties of the past,” Araqchi said.
“Feltman’s trip to Iran is connected with regional processes, especially the one in Syria,” Araqchi said.
Feltman spent just one day in Tehran before moving on to Egypt.