Afkhami: The Conviction of Khazaei in the US is 'Against International Law'

Marzieh Afkhami, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, has described the conviction of an Iranian-American to eight years in prison in the US as 'completely unjust' and has strongly criticized the US government for 'arresting and imprisoning Iranian citizens on baseless and unfounded charges.' Tasnim News Agency reported on Sunday, November 3, that Ms. Afkhami deemed this issue 'unacceptable' and stated that the arrest of Iranian citizens by the US 'under the pretext of violating sanctions is illegal and against international law.' The spokesperson mentioned that the Islamic Republic is working for the 'freedom' and 'proving the innocence' of Mozafar Khazaei and will continue its efforts. A court in the US sentenced Mozafar Khazaei, an Iranian-American citizen, to eight years and one month in prison on charges of attempting to transfer sensitive military technology information and components to Iran. Mr. Khazaei, 61, was an engineer at Pratt & Whitney, a contractor for the US military industry, who was arrested in January 2014 while attempting to leave the United States with parts from F-22 and F-35 aircraft, the most advanced US fighter jets. This Iranian-American also exchanged emails with 'Iranian parties' containing information about US military programs. Reuters reports that Mr. Khazaei accepted the charges against him in the court session and apologized. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that several Iranian citizens are imprisoned 'for unjust reasons and accusations of violating illegal and illegitimate sanctions in the US and several other countries,' and the Islamic Republic demands their 'immediate and unconditional release.'