Foreign Policy: UN Secretary-General's Letter to Rouhani for the Release of Baqer Namazi

Informed sources told Foreign Policy on Tuesday that Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, has requested the release of Baqer Namazi for humanitarian reasons in a confidential letter to Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran. According to the report, Antonio Guterres, who was previously the Prime Minister of Portugal, sent this completely confidential letter to Hassan Rouhani last week. Baqer Namazi, 81, a former UNICEF official, was arrested in Iran in February 2016. His son, Siamak Namazi, a 46-year-old former Iranian-American director of strategic planning at Crescent Petroleum, was arrested four months earlier during a trip to Iran. The Iranian Revolutionary Court sentenced each to 10 years in prison, claiming they committed espionage and contacted the U.S. government. In this context, Babak Namazi, Baqer Namazi's son, expressed concern about his father's heart condition and fears he may die in prison in Iran. Babak Namazi also expressed concern about his brother's situation. UN officials told Foreign Policy that Antonio Guterres's request to Hassan Rouhani for Baqer Namazi's release was based on humanitarian grounds and was not made at the request of the U.S. government or any other country. Nikki Haley, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, two weeks ago urged Iran to release Siamak and Baqer Namazi, 'two American citizens.' On May 7 of this year, several members of the U.S. House of Representatives urged the Trump administration to take specific actions for the 'unconditional release' of current Iranian-American prisoners in Iran. In this context, there has been an 'increase' in U.S. efforts to free dual nationals in Iran. The U.S. representative at the UN called for the release of Siamak and Baqer Namazi, and several U.S. senators sought information regarding the prisoner exchange process with Iran. Iran confirmed the issue of Iranian-American prisoners in recent JCPOA negotiations. The 'first direct negotiation' of the Trump administration with Iran occurred on the sidelines of the JCPOA meeting. The Namazi family's lawyer called for U.S. pressure on Iran for the release of his clients. There has been an increase in efforts to free two Iranian-American prisoners.