Iranian weightlifter Mostafa Rajaei was banned for life by the Iranian regime for shaking the hand of Israeli weightlifter Maksim Svirsky at a sports competition in Poland on Saturday, Iranian state media reported. The Islamic Republic News Agency condemned Rajaei for standing “next to the representative of the regime that burned Jerusalem and placed the Iranian flag next to the Israeli flag without paying attention to the red lines and the values ​​of the system.” The Islamic Republic of Iran Weightlifting Federation issued a statement saying that it “bans athlete Mostafa Rajaei for life from entering all sports facilities in the country and dismisses the head of the delegation for the competition, Hamid Salehinia.” Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in 2021 that athletes “should not shake hands with a representative of the (Israeli) criminal regime to obtain a medal.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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