Iran's Minister of Intelligence: Abdrasul Daryasfahani Did Not Engage in Espionage

Mahmoud Alavi, Iran's Minister of Intelligence, announced in a note to Masoud Pezeshkian, the Deputy Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, on Tuesday, October 25, that Abdrasul Daryasfahani, a former member of Iran's nuclear negotiation team, based on the opinions of experts in this ministry, did not engage in espionage. According to Mehr News Agency, three members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Javad Karimi Qoddusi, Rahmatollah Noorizadeh, and Hossein Ali Haji Deligani, who had accused Abdrasul Daryasfahani of collaborating with the intelligence services of the United States, Britain, and Canada, were convinced after the Minister's explanations. Javad Karimi Qoddusi claimed in his questioning of the Minister of Intelligence that Abdrasul Daryasfahani, while being part of the nuclear negotiation team and pursuing the lifting of banking sanctions, was also receiving a salary of £7,500 per month from the 'PW' institution in London to ensure the continuation of banking sanctions against Iran. The Minister of Intelligence had previously warned on October 11 that individuals who have not engaged in espionage should not be accused of espionage for political goals. The Nasim Online website reported on September 25 that an individual identified as the 'banking official of the nuclear negotiation team' had been arrested. In this report, the accusation against Abdrasul Daryasfahani was stated as 'receiving salaries from American and British institutions in exchange for providing important economic information about the Islamic Republic of Iran.' Simultaneously, Yasser Jabari, the research deputy of Fars News Agency, also introduced the arrested individual as Abdrasul Daryasfahani, the banking official of the negotiation team, and claimed he was 'arrested on espionage charges.' Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for Iran's judiciary, also mentioned on September 28 that a person had been arrested as an 'infiltrator in Iran's nuclear negotiation team,' but 'his charges have not yet been proven.' Nevertheless, the Iranian Foreign Ministry described the arrest of one of the staff members of the JCPOA executive headquarters on espionage charges as 'completely baseless.' Abdrasul Daryasfahani is currently a non-executive member of the board of directors of Asia Insurance and an advisor to Valiollah Seif, the head of the Central Bank of Iran. Previously, Hamid Baidi-Nejad, an Iranian diplomat and head of the expert group of Iran's nuclear negotiation team, had denied that Abdrasul Daryasfahani held dual nationality. Baidi-Nejad also described the espionage allegations against Daryasfahani as an insult to Iran's security agencies, stating that each member participating in the negotiations only had access to information within the scope of their work. The issue of 'dual nationality' officials became a critical point for conservatives against the eleventh government after Hassan Rouhani took office. These conservatives have repeatedly called for the removal of officials with 'dual nationality' as one of the most important channels of 'infiltration' in the Islamic Republic of Iran. For instance, Nasser Seraaj, the head of the General Inspection Organization, stated last September that most of the accused who have fled the country 'hold dual nationality,' and this organization has prepared a report for the three branches of government, requesting the expulsion of these individuals from executive positions. Mahmoud Alavi reported on October 6 in a session titled 'Investigating the Status of Dual Nationality and Green Card Holders among Senior Officials and Managers' held in the National Security Commission of the Parliament, that 39 high-ranking Iranian officials had been disqualified due to holding dual nationality. He stated in this session that 'if officials obtain dual nationality and green cards, their superiors will be informed that their continued responsibility is not possible.' Iran does not recognize dual nationality, and it is unclear how many employees or managers in executive bodies may potentially hold dual nationality. In this context, the Minister of Intelligence reiterated his warning about accusing individuals of 'espionage.' The Ministry of Intelligence has 'disqualified' dozens of dual nationality officials in the Islamic Republic, while a parliament member claimed that Daryasfahani has accepted the espionage charges.