Iran Bars Tehran Mayor From U.S. Transport Ceremony

Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf

The Iranian authorities have reportedly barred the mayor of Tehran from traveling to the United States for a ceremony honoring his city's advances in public transport.

Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf was invited to Washington by a nongovernmental organization, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, for a ceremony on January 24 where Tehran is one of five cities up for the "2011 Sustainable Transport Award."

Qalibaf, who ran in Iran's 2005 presidential election, is seen by some Iranians as a possible future presidential contender.

Reuters