Five Iranians with Dual Citizenship Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison Each

The Iranian judiciary news agency reports that Mohammad Baqer and Siamak Namazi, Iranian-American citizens, have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Revolutionary Court. The Tehran prosecutor confirmed this report, announcing 10-year prison sentences for three other dual nationals. According to the Mizan news agency on Tuesday, October 19, an 'informed source' stated that Siamak and Baqer Namazi were accused of collaborating with the 'hostile government of the United States.' The prison sentences were announced a day after a video of Siamak Namazi's arrest was released by the same news agency. Mizan also confirmed a 10-year prison sentence for Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese citizen residing in the U.S. Meanwhile, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran public prosecutor, reported the conviction of three others named 'Farhad Abdollah Saleh,' 'Kamran Ghaderi,' and 'Alireza Omidvar' for 'espionage and cooperation with the U.S. government,' stating that 'each of these defendants has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.' According to Tasnim, he added, 'There are very important cases in the Tehran prosecutor's office in the security, economic, and financial sectors, the details of which cannot be disclosed for certain considerations.' Siamak Namazi, a former Iranian-American director of strategic planning at Crescent Petroleum, was arrested during a trip to Iran last October. Four months later, his father, Mohammad Baqer Namazi, traveled to Iran to inquire about his son's situation but was also arrested and sent to Evin Prison. Supporters of the Namazi father and son and the U.S. State Department have not yet reacted to this news. On Friday, October 14, Loni Ali, the wife of Muhammad Ali, the legendary Muslim boxer, sent a letter to Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran, referencing the humanitarian activities of Baqer and Siamak Namazi, asking him to show 'Islamic compassion' towards these 'two pure-hearted citizens' and return them to their families during the month of Muharram. She added, 'My husband, Muhammad Ali, loved Iran and the Iranian people. Showing compassion and forgiveness towards these two would honor Muhammad Ali's legacy.' In July of this year, two members of the U.S. House of Representatives proposed a resolution calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Baqer and Siamak Namazi and urged the U.S. government to take action in this regard. Baqer Namazi is 80 years old and, according to his family, has heart problems and needs medical care. In this context, UNICEF, with which Mr. Namazi has a history of collaboration, announced in September that his former colleagues in the organization are deeply concerned about his health status, and these concerns have increased given that six months have passed since his arrest. Last December, Iran agreed to release four Iranian-American citizens, and in return, Washington paid $400 million in cash, which it claims is due to the cancellation of a military contract during the Shah's time, along with $1.3 billion in interest to the Islamic Republic. The Associated Press, quoting analysts and the families of the detainees, reported that the issuance of new sentences for dual nationals strengthens the likelihood that Tehran is seeking a new deal with the U.S. Tehran recently released Homa Hoodfar, an Iranian-Canadian professor, coinciding with negotiations to reopen the Canadian embassy in Tehran.