UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has decided to postpone a trip to Tehran in the wake of the Iranian president's threat to "wipe Israel off the map," UN sources and a US congressmen said today.
Mr Annan had planned to visit the Iranian capital on a swing through the Middle East, beginning next week.
But since the trip was arranged, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made the remarks, which drew international condemnation. The United Nations expects to make an official announcement later in the day but UN sources said Mr Annan would not go to Tehran after visiting Egypt as planned.
The news was first disclosed by California Republican Tom Lantos, a long-time friend of Mr Annan and his wife, Nane, and the ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee.
Mr Lantos praised Mr Annan "for postponing a trip to Iran in the wake of outrageous comments made late last week by the Iranian president that included a call to wipe another UN member-state 'off the map.'" Mr Annan had rebuked the Iranian president earlier for his comments, as did the European Union, the United States, Russia, Canada and many other nations.