Karimi Qodosi: Three More Nuclear Spies Are Fleeing

Continuing his "revelations," Jawad Karimi Qodosi, a conservative member of parliament, on Tuesday named three more individuals he claims are "nuclear spies," asserting that all three are "fleeing." This member of the National Security Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly mentioned these names on Tuesday, April 12, in an interview with the Enqelab News website. Mr. Karimi Qodosi, who previously labeled Abdolrasool Dari Isfahani, a senior member of Iran's expert team during nuclear negotiations, as a "spy," stated that in addition to him, three others named "Moshkur, Ramazani, and Sirous Naseri" are also "nuclear spies." These statements come at a time when Mishkan Moshkur and Abdolrasool Dari Isfahani were members of the nuclear negotiating team who received a third-class service medal from President Hassan Rouhani. In September of last year, media close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported, citing the deputy representative of the Supreme Leader in the force, about the arrest of a member close to the Iranian nuclear negotiating team on charges of "spying for the enemy." Subsequent reports identified this individual as "Abdolrasool Dari Isfahani," but the Iranian Foreign Ministry denied the published reports in this regard. Mahmoud Alavi, the Minister of Intelligence, also stated on Tuesday, November 4, in a note to Masoud Pezeshkian, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, that Abdolrasool Dari Isfahani had not engaged in espionage according to the experts' opinion of this ministry. Mr. Karimi Qodosi claimed that the Iranian negotiating team, consisting of Mohammad Javad Zarif, Abbas Araghchi, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, and Ali Akbar Salehi, only had the apparent task of writing the [JCPOA] contract, while these four were responsible for the main and hidden negotiations. Mr. Karimi Qodosi did not provide any evidence or documents to support his claims. He added that the "crime" of Dari Isfahani, who was an expert in banking and sanctions during Iran's nuclear negotiations with the West, had been "proven" and that "his trial is currently ongoing." This representative added that "sentences for the other three have also been issued, but unfortunately, these three are currently fleeing." In this interview, Karimi Qodosi introduced Moshkur, whose first name was not mentioned, as an individual with Iranian and French citizenship who was responsible for the international law section of the JCPOA. He added that "the international law section related to resolutions and agreements was assigned to this person. The direction and guidance of the JCPOA towards what our enemies wanted was on his shoulders." This representative close to the Front of Steadfastness identified the third person as "Ramazani," who was "responsible for media narrative creation." According to Mr. Karimi Qodosi's claims, "all media narrative management of the negotiations, both inside and outside the country, was under his responsibility." According to this member of the National Security Commission, Ramazani "studied at a university where graduates specialize in espionage, unfortunately, I do not remember the name of this espionage-producing university, but it is well-known worldwide." He stated that "he monitored the behavior and reactions of all members of the Iranian negotiating team and the opposing parties and directed the journalistic movements and the propaganda behavior of Mr. Zarif and other members of the negotiating team through this information." Karimi Qodosi also identified the fourth individual as "Sirous Naseri," saying that he "came from London once a week at the expense of the presidency and held meetings with Mr. Nahavandian. All expenses, including ticket money, bonuses, and consulting fees, were covered by the Iranian presidency and he was also involved in the negotiations." He, who had made these statements on April 2 in Urmia at a meeting of "Revolutionary Youth Think Tank," said that these four had "managed the JCPOA from behind the scenes." While this representative has named three others as "nuclear spies" in addition to Dari Isfahani, Bahram Qasemi, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, had previously denied the arrest of Dari Isfahani, calling it "groundless fabrication and inappropriate political games." Meanwhile, despite the insistence of the Iranian Foreign Ministry on the non-arrest in the nuclear negotiating team, Abdollah Hajizadeh, the deputy representative of the Supreme Leader in the IRGC, implicitly confirmed reports regarding the arrest of "an individual close to the nuclear negotiating team" on charges of "espionage." He referred to this individual as a "spy of the enemy" without naming him and claimed that this individual "was close to a member of the nuclear negotiating team [of Iran] and was receiving a salary from England." Karimi Qodosi also claimed in his interview with Enqelab News that Dari Isfahani "was ostensibly responsible for lifting economic sanctions on behalf of Iran, but on the other hand, was receiving 6,500 pounds monthly from the English to maintain the sanctions." The representative from Mashhad added: "His duty was to ensure that the Iran and 1+5 contract was written in such a way that the interpretation and understanding would benefit the Americans and the English, ultimately leading to what we are witnessing today."