Member of Parliament: Dual Nationals Are a Serious Concern for Enemy Intelligence Services

Officials from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) indicated in a National Security and Foreign Policy Commission meeting that dual nationals are 'of serious concern' to foreign intelligence services. Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, a principlist representative from Varamin and spokesperson for the National Security Commission, stated that this was the second extraordinary meeting of the commission to discuss the 'infiltration project.' He emphasized that 'dual nationals are seriously targeted by enemy intelligence services and are utilized in infiltration projects, with various examples being dual citizens.' This marks the first time that Iranian intelligence officials have expressed such a clear stance regarding dual Iranian-foreign nationals, which may explain the increasing arrests of these individuals, especially in recent years. The controversy surrounding dual nationals in the government previously escalated in 2014 with reports from principlist media about a dual national in the office of the Iranian president. At that time, it was claimed that Mohammad Nahavandian, head of Hassan Rouhani's office, was the individual in question. However, government spokesperson Mohammad Baqer Nobakht asserted that 'there are no dual nationals in the president's office.' On Wednesday, Naqavi Hosseini referred to the arrest of an individual involved in nuclear negotiations, stating, 'The person arrested on charges of espionage during the nuclear negotiations holds dual nationality.' Conflicting reports and statements regarding the arrest of Abdolrasoul Dari Esfahani, a financial and banking expert and member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team, have circulated in Iranian media. Bahram Shafiei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, clarified last week that no official has been arrested on charges of dual nationality, and if someone has been arrested, it is for other reasons. Additionally, on September 9, 2016, Nobakht expressed ignorance about the arrest of 'one of the negotiating team members' but noted that the individual would be released on bail, indicating that the matter is not significant. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, spokesperson for the judiciary, confirmed two days earlier that one person had been arrested as an 'infiltrator in the Iranian nuclear negotiating team,' but 'this accusation has not yet been proven.' The discussion of the 'infiltration project' by Western governments in Iran has intensified since last year, particularly during nuclear negotiations, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei frequently using the term and warning against it. The concept of enemy infiltration has become a key term among principlist political groups, often used to accuse reformists or moderates close to the government. Reformists and moderates generally support negotiations with Western countries to resolve issues between Iran and the international community through dialogue. According to Naqavi Hosseini, the extraordinary session of the National Security Commission, attended by IRGC intelligence officials, also examined the components of the infiltration project across various political, economic, social, cultural, scientific, technical, ideological, and other domains. He stated that the short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals of the enemy were outlined, along with various examples that had been exploited. He emphasized that 'all officials and managers of the system, especially members of parliament, are under the enemy's scrutiny, and they may infiltrate through various means, including journalists and economic activists, potentially compromising themselves or their families, thus necessitating serious vigilance and care for themselves and their family members.' Naqavi Hosseini indicated that 'continuous monitoring of the infiltration project' will continue in future sessions of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission.