Following the Arrest of Teachers, the Head of Iranian Schools in the UAE Has Also Been Arrested

An Iranian news agency reported that following the arrest of 22 Iranian teachers in the United Arab Emirates last week, the head of the Islamic Republic's schools in this country was also arrested on Tuesday morning, October 21, by the Al Ain Prosecutor's Office. Last week, 9 male and 13 female Iranian teachers were arrested in the Al Ain area of Abu Dhabi for lacking 'business cards and work permits.' Among them, the male teachers remain in custody, while the female teachers have been released on bail. According to Iranian media reports, the court hearing for these 22 Iranian teachers, which was scheduled for Monday, October 20, has been postponed. The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the UAE chargé d'affaires on Sunday, October 19, in the absence of the country's ambassador, demanding the 'immediate release' of these teachers. However, the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reports that the head of Iranian schools in the UAE has now also joined the list of detainees. Meanwhile, according to Fars News Agency, Mohammad Mahdi Zahedi, head of the Education and Research Commission of the Parliament, announced that this commission has requested that the Foreign Minister and 'if necessary' the President intervene in this matter and take action 'within 24 hours' for the release of the detained teachers in the UAE. Mr. Zahedi stated that a meeting will also be held by Wednesday afternoon at the Foreign Ministry with the presence of a representative from the Education Commission to follow up on this issue. The arrest of these Iranian teachers comes as Rasoul Papaei, Deputy of Public Relations at the Ministry of Education, has called the complaint from the Al Ain Labor Department against these teachers 'a pretext.' IRNA news agency also reported that Iranian teachers have been teaching in Abu Dhabi 'normally' with work and residency permits related to Dubai for years without any issues. However, according to ISNA, Emirati officials claim that in recent years, 'necessary written and verbal warnings' were given to the head of the Islamic Republic's schools in the Al Ain area and the Iranian embassy regarding obtaining work permits for Iranian teachers. According to this news agency, there are eight Iranian schools in the UAE, with a history of activities dating back 61 years. The Iranian school operating in the Al Ain area has a 45-year history.