“B” NEAR EAST. Iran Closes Its Consulate in Jerusalem. The Iranian Consulate representation Jerusalem in Israel officially closed on 7 July. There will be no Iranian representation in Israel. The Iranian special envoy with rank of Minister to Israel and Consul General in Jerusalem has been assigned to the Iranian UN Delegation. The consensus of opinion, according to the US Consulate in Jerusalem, is that this move was made to obtain Arab backing should Iran take the oil dispute to the UN. [string of excised words here] COMMENT: The Arabs have long been critical of Iranian contacts with Israel. While Iran has been inclined to adopt a relatively neutral position on the Israeli-Arab dispute, the present development of intense nationalism coupled with elements of religious fanaticism would help induce the Iranian Government to assume a new attitude toward Israel, aside from any desire to secure the political support of the Arabs.

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