Geneva: The Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Dutch ambassador to Tehran to lodge a strong protest over the 'smuggling' of banned equipment by a Dutch diplomat to the Islamic Republic. The ministry summoned Ambassador Emiel de Bont, informing him that the diplomat's baggage had been confiscated in January because it contained items whose import and use are prohibited under Iranian law.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, the ambassador was told that the confiscation was carried out in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The ministry emphasized that diplomats, while enjoying immunity, are obliged to respect the laws of the host country and refrain from interfering in its internal affairs.

The ministry stated that the ambassador was instructed to convey Iran's protest and the necessity for Dutch diplomats to comply with international regulations to his government. Dutch media identified the diplomat involved as Andre van Wiggen, the second-in-command at the Dutch embassy in Tehran. He was stopped at Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport on January 28 after refusing to have his baggage scanned. The luggage reportedly contained a portable Starlink satellite modem, several satellite phones, and other communications equipment.

Iranian media released footage of the incident at the airport this week, further escalating the diplomatic tension between the two nations.