Baeidi-Nejad: Daryaei Has Denied Espionage Allegations and Does Not Hold Dual Citizenship

Hamid Baeidi-Nejad, an Iranian diplomat and head of the expert group of Iran's nuclear negotiation team, who is also active on social media, recently posted about economic exchanges between Iran and South Korea using the Euro, which was five days ago. Following numerous inquiries from users regarding espionage allegations against a member of the negotiation team, he provided clarifications under the same post on Wednesday. Baeidi-Nejad noted various aspects of the allegations against Abdolrasoul Daryaei. He emphasized that according to limited reports, Mr. Daryaei was summoned by certain security authorities for explanations and was released without any specific accusations being proven against him, with investigations continuing. This comment came after reports of the arrest of a member of the nuclear negotiation team on espionage charges, who was said to hold dual Iranian-British citizenship. Baeidi-Nejad directly referenced Abdolrasoul Daryaei, stating that he has denied the espionage allegations and that, according to reliable information, Daryaei does not hold dual citizenship. The head of the Iranian negotiation team also mentioned that the qualifications of individuals from other institutions joining this team cannot fall under the responsibilities of the Foreign Ministry and the members of the nuclear negotiation team, especially in sensitive situations, which are the responsibility of the official intelligence and security agencies of the country. Although Baeidi-Nejad also referred to Daryaei's background, stating that he represented a banking and financial institution in negotiations, relying on his over two decades of experience in significant international disputes. The Iranian diplomat described the espionage allegations against Daryaei as an insult to Iran's security apparatus, adding that the countries participating in the negotiations have some of the strongest intelligence services in the world and do not need to obtain reports from intermediaries. He also stated that each of the negotiation participants had access to information only within the scope of their work. Baeidi-Nejad's comments on Instagram came while Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had not yet commented on the matter, and his deputy, Abbas Araghchi, without confirming or denying the news of Daryaei's arrest and case, called on the responsible agencies to be accountable. Abdolrasoul Daryaei is currently a non-executive member of the board of Asia Insurance and an advisor to Valiollah Seif, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran. On September 7, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, mentioned that an individual had been arrested as a 'penetrating agent in Iran's nuclear negotiation team,' but 'this allegation has not yet been proven against him.'