Lebanese Prime Minister Calls for the Release of Nizar Zaka in Meeting with Zarif

Saad Hariri, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, on Monday, February 11, met with Mohammad Javad Zarif and called for the release of Nizar Zaka, a Lebanese IT expert who is imprisoned in Iran. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, was in Lebanon for a two-day visit that began on Sunday. According to the German news agency, the office of the Lebanese Prime Minister stated that Saad Hariri emphasized the need to resolve the issue of Nizar Zaka's detention. Nizar Zaka, who also has permanent residency in the United States and studied there, attended a conference on information technology and entrepreneurship for women in Tehran in September 2015 at the official invitation of Hassan Rouhani's government but was arrested by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Mr. Zaka was sentenced to ten years in prison on charges of espionage for the U.S. In this context, Nizar Zaka's family recently asked Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, to work for his release. Before meeting with Saad Hariri, Zarif had also met with Hassan Nasrallah. During his meetings, Mohammad Javad Zarif congratulated the formation of the new Lebanese government. Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed group, formed a strong parliamentary faction in alliance with Lebanese allies following the elections eight months ago and holds three ministries in the new Lebanese cabinet. This is Zarif's fourth visit to Lebanon since the beginning of Hassan Rouhani's government in 2013. On Monday, Zarif also met with Michel Aoun, the President, Nabih Berri, the Speaker of Parliament, and Gebran Bassil, the Foreign Minister of Lebanon. Meanwhile, according to IRNA, Michel Aoun requested Iran's assistance in the return of Syrian refugees from Lebanon to their country during his meeting with Mohammad Javad Zarif. Reports indicate that one million Syrian refugees are currently in Lebanon.