Arrest of American-Lebanese Citizen in Iran Confirmed

About a week after the news of the arrest of Nizar Zakka, an American-Lebanese citizen in Tehran, Iranian state radio and television confirmed his arrest citing 'informed sources.' A Lebanese newspaper had reported a week ago on Zakka's arrest, describing him as a 'Lebanese businessman' and 'Vice President of the World Information Technology Alliance.' The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) on Tuesday, November 3, referred to Zakka as someone who has 'deep ties with the American intelligence and military community.' The Mehr and Tasnim news agencies reported that some 'published photos show him in U.S. Army uniform at Riverside military base in the U.S.' These agencies also mentioned that 'some sources refer to Zakka as a hidden treasure due to his very special connections with the American intelligence and military community.' The confirmation of Mr. Zakka's arrest in Tehran came a few days after the Lebanese newspaper 'Al-Liwaa' reported his arrest on November 1, stating that Zakka is the Vice President of the 'World Information Technology Alliance' (WITSA) and Secretary General of the 'Arab Organization for Information and Communication Technology' (AJOICT), who was arrested in Tehran for 'unknown reasons.' Prior to that, there were reports about the disappearance of this American-Lebanese citizen after his attendance at an information technology conference in Tehran on September 15, where he was invited by Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Iranian Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, to participate in the 'Second International Exhibition and Conference on Women's Role in Sustainable Development' on 'Entrepreneurship and Job Creation.' Nizar Zakka is the fifth dual-national American citizen to be arrested in Iran. The news of his arrest comes as Siamak Namazi, another Iranian-American citizen, was recently arrested in Tehran. Reuters reported on November 1, citing a source, that Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American manager of the strategic planning office of Crescent Petroleum in the UAE, was arrested by the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence in mid-October and is currently in solitary confinement in Evin prison. According to Reuters, Siamak Namazi traveled to Iran from Dubai to visit his family in July but was barred from leaving and was eventually arrested in mid-October after repeated interrogations. These arrests occur as the parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections are set to be held on March 1 in Iran, and Ayatollah Khamenei, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, and some conservative representatives in the parliament and Friday prayer leaders have recently spoken about America's efforts for 'influence' in Iran following the nuclear deal. Saeed Abedini, Amir Hekmati, and Jason Rezaian, also dual-national American-Iranian citizens, have been detained in Iran for some time. On Tuesday, November 3, just hours after the confirmation of Nizar Zakka's arrest in Tehran, the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence announced the arrest of several individuals described as 'some members of a network collaborating with hostile Western governments who were active in the virtual space and media of the country.' On the evening of Tuesday, reports also emerged about the arrest of another Iranian journalist named Saman Safarzadeh, a reporter for the monthly Andisheh Pouya. On Monday, news of the arrest of Afrin Chitsaz, a columnist for the Iran newspaper, Eisa Saharkhiz, the director of press at the Ministry of Culture during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, and Ehsan Mazandarani, the editor-in-chief of the Farhikhtegan newspaper, was also published.