WP: Orbán government offered assistance to Iran in 2024 after pager sabotage operation

The government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán offered its assistance to Iran following Israel's operation to sabotage pagers used by the Tehran-backed group Hezbollah in September 2024.

Source: The Washington Post

Details: According to The Washington Post, which reviewed transcripts of calls between Hungarian and Iranian officials, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó spoke with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on 30 September and said that certain documents would be shared with Iran's intelligence services.

"Our secret service has already contacted your services and we will share all the information we have gathered during the investigation. Every possible document will be shared with your services," Szijjártó told Araghchi.

At the time, Hungary was under scrutiny after a Taiwanese company whose brand appeared on the pagers told journalists that the devices had been manufactured by a Hungarian firm under a licensing agreement. Szijjártó sought to assure Araghchi that Hungary had no involvement in Israel's attack on Hezbollah.

The Iranian foreign minister responded that he was very grateful for the assistance.

"If you need any further information or you wish to contact me then I am always at your service," Szijjártó added.

The call and the apparent willingness of the Hungarian official to seek favour with Iran's foreign minister raise uncomfortable questions about Orbán's government's ties with Tehran. This is particularly notable given that the US administration is in conflict with Iran, while President Donald Trump has publicly supported Orbán in elections.

The call also contradicts the Orbán government's official policy of supporting Israel.

The transcript of the conversation between Szijjártó and Araghchi raises further questions about the Hungarian government's political alignment, especially considering that Moscow has long been allied with Iran and has supported it in its confrontation with the United States, including by providing intelligence on US military targets.

Background:

• Earlier this week, media outlets also published a transcript of a conversation between Orbán and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, in which he, referencing a fable about a mouse and a lion, expressed readiness to "be Putin's mouse".
• In addition, the investigative project Vsquare released further details of conversations between Hungary's foreign minister and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, confirming their close coordination, including on actions that undermine Ukraine.

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