TEHRAN An Iranian delegation, which was to have attended the funeral ceremony of King Hussein of Jordan on Monday, cancelled its visit in protest against the recent remarks made by the new King Abdullah, an informed source told the TEHRAN TIMES. The source said the delegation was to be headed by Industries Minister Gholam Reza Shafei, who is also the head of Iran-Jordan Joint Commission. However, the Iranian Ambassador to Jordan Mohammad Ali Sobhani attended the funeral ceremony instead, he added.

The London-based daily Al-Hayat in a report published recently quoted the new Jordanian King Abdullah as saying in an interview that Iran poses a threat to the region. Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Jordanian Ambassador to Tehran Nouh Ali Salman on Sunday over the new king's remarks. The ambassador denied Al-Hayat's report, saying that King Abdullah had said in the interview that the future stability in the region depended on Arab-Iran relations.

Jordan is willing to promote Tehran-Amman ties, the ambassador said. The Iranian ambassador to Jordan conveyed Iran's concern over the issue in a meeting with Jordanian foreign minister. However, the minister denied the report. The office of King Abdullah has also expressed regret over the false report published by Al-Hayat, he said. Nevertheless, the Islamic Republic of Iran is waiting for an official denial of the report by King Abdullah, the source told the TEHRAN TIMES.