TEHRAN, Mar. 02 (MNA) � Interests Section of the Islamic Republic in Washington dismissed rumors on agencies refraining from issuing visas for foreign tourists as �an utter lie�, saying the Section has so far issued thousands of visas for traveling to Iran.


Manouchehr Jafarzadeh, an official at the Interests Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Washington, DC, told IRNA the rumors on agencies refraining from issuing visas for foreign tourists wishing to travel to Iran are baseless and false.

He added that the Interests Section has, on the contrary, been receiving�in recent months an unprecedented influx of tourists wishing to travel to Iran, saying �each day, hundreds of these tourists come to the Section and stand in long queues for getting a visa to visit Iran. Iran�s Interests Section alone has issued over 9,000 visas during this time.�

Jafarzadeh went on to add that except for nationals of 9 countries, Iran has set no precondition for issuing visas to other�foreign nationals and citizens of 190 countries in the world can enter Iran from seven air borders easily and without obtaining a visa and receive a permit of 30 to 45 days of stay in Iran upon arrival at the airport.

Annie Lucas, Vice President of MIR Corporation, also dismissed the rumors, saying �as a matter of fact, the number of people coming to the agency for traveling to Iran has increased more than 200 percent in recent months; �this number is constantly increasing and the agency�s managers are compelled to think of new measures to be able to meet all of these demands for booking hotels in Iran.�

A report by the New York Times last month indicated tour operators speak of a surge of bookings by many Americans who, undeterred by a State Department warning about travel risks to Iran, and following the nuclear deal agreement and lift of sanctions,�are keen on visiting the country.

By Mehr News Agency