Iran cancels Polish Film Week

By Mustafa Melih Ahishali

TEHRAN

Iran's top cinema official on Sunday announced the cancellation of a week dedicated to display Polish films in February.
Hossein Entezami, the director of the Cinema Organization, said that the activity has been suspended.

Polish films were scheduled to be displayed in February in the cities of Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Mashahd.

The move came shortly after the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned the Polish Charges D'Affairs, Wojciech Unolt, to protest an Iran-focused conference in Warsaw next month.

In a statement, the ministry said it lodged an official protest with Warsaw for hosting the event.

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the U.S. and Poland will jointly host the Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East in Warsaw from Feb. 13-14 with a focus on Iran.

Israeli and Arab officials have been invited to the summit.

On Thursday, Pompeo said the U.S. is pursuing plans to establish a new security alliance of Arab countries aimed at countering Iran’s influence in the Middle East.