Arrest of a Dual National Citizen on Charges of 'Connection with British Intelligence Service'

On August 17, the Tehran Public Prosecutor announced that a dual national citizen was arrested in Tehran last week on charges of spying for the British intelligence service. Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi stated that the arrested individual was 'active in the economic field and related to Iran.' The identity of the arrested person has not been disclosed, and the Tehran Prosecutor's Office has not provided further details regarding the accusations against this individual. Furthermore, it is unclear from Mr. Dolatabadi's statements whether the second nationality of the arrested individual is British or another nationality. He emphasized the 'necessity' of paying attention to the statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic regarding 'enemy infiltration, especially after the JCPOA agreement.' Mr. Jafari Dolatabadi stated that 'the U.S. seeks to change thoughts and behaviors and supports individuals who think like them.' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, who is a staunch opponent of normalizing relations with the United States and a major critic of British policies, has repeatedly warned about what he calls the 'infiltration project.' Several dual national citizens have been arrested in Iran over the past years. Recent arrests have also occurred following the release of a group of American citizens imprisoned in Iran. Currently, the identities of several detained dual nationals in Iran are known, although their arrests predate the recent case. Among them is Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an Iranian-British citizen arrested in April, who worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation (an organization affiliated with Reuters). On July 25, the Iranian judiciary reported the arrest of Reza (Robin) Shahini in Gorgan; Mr. Shahini holds Iranian-American citizenship, and the U.S. State Department has stated that Washington is reviewing the matter. Siamak Namazi, a former director of strategic planning at Crescent Petroleum, was also arrested last October, and his father, Baqer Namazi, a former UNICEF representative in several African countries, was arrested a few months later; both individuals hold dual Iranian-American citizenship. Kamal Faroughi is another individual who is a businessman with dual Iranian-British citizenship. Mr. Faroughi was arrested in 2011, but there is little news and reports about his situation. Theresa May, the Prime Minister of Britain, expressed concern on August 10 in a phone call with Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, about the arrest of 'dual national citizens of this country, including Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.' The British Foreign Office warned its citizens, especially Iranian-British citizens, in July that traveling to Iran could put them at risk of arrest. The U.S. State Department also issued a similar warning last February, particularly for dual nationals. In this context, Jaberi Ansari stated that the release of prisoners is not related to the release of Iran's assets. A new travel warning to Iran; even after the JCPOA, harassment of Americans has continued. The judiciary confirmed that an Iranian-American citizen has been arrested in Gorgan.