Questioning Zarif in Parliament and Release of Video Against One of the Nuclear Negotiation Experts

Javad Karimi Qoddousi, a representative from the Front of Steadfastness in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, during a questioning of the Iranian Foreign Minister regarding the presence of four dual citizens in the nuclear negotiation team, broadcast a video against Abdul Rasul Dari Isfahani, a member of this team who has been accused of espionage. Karimi Qoddousi emphasized that this video, along with two other videos prepared by the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC, will be provided to the media. In the video shown in Parliament, published by the 'Entekhab' website, images of Abdul Rasul Dari Isfahani are seen, and the narrator of the video claims that after Dari Isfahani joined the nuclear negotiations, 'the negotiation process gained an incredible momentum and the JCPOA was signed.' Mohammad Javad Zarif defended the performance of Dari Isfahani and the three other dual citizens in the nuclear negotiation team, stating that during the negotiations he saw 'nothing but service' from them and 'if other issues are raised, they do not concern me; I am responsible for the negotiations.' The judiciary of the Islamic Republic has accused Dari Isfahani of espionage, but the Ministry of Intelligence denies this accusation. Abdul Rasul Dari Isfahani, who also holds Canadian citizenship, was sentenced to five years in prison in his last trial and is currently incarcerated. The Iranian Foreign Minister also defended the performance of the dual citizens in the nuclear negotiation team, saying: 'We have no doubt about the patriotism and attention to national interests of these individuals.' Based on the voting at the end of the session, representatives announced that they were convinced by Zarif's explanations. Iranian conservatives, especially members of the Front of Steadfastness, have strongly opposed the employment of dual citizens in government institutions and have consistently accused Hassan Rouhani's government of employing dual citizens in executive bodies. However, Mahmoud Alavi, the Minister of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic, recently stated again in a television program that no dual citizen is present in government institutions. Last year, after accusations about the presence of 'spies' in the nuclear negotiation team surfaced, two members of the Front of Steadfastness, Javad Karimi Qoddousi and Hamid Rasai, specifically named four individuals: Abdul Rasul Dari Isfahani, Sirous Naseri, Meshkan Mashkoor, and Shabani. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry emphasized that these individuals were introduced to the negotiation team from domestic institutions, including the Central Bank, stating that 'the necessary inquiries regarding their presence in the negotiation team had been made.' The Islamic Republic does not recognize dual citizenship, and in recent years, especially with repeated emphases from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei regarding what he calls 'influence,' many dual citizens in Iran have been arrested and accused of 'espionage.' Reuters estimated last year that the IRGC's Intelligence Organization had arrested and imprisoned at least 30 dual citizens between 2015 and 2017. Various U.S. administrations have repeatedly called for the release of dual citizens and green card holders in Iran. Recently, it was reported that Baqer Namazi, an 82-year-old Iranian-American citizen who has been imprisoned for three years, has been granted medical leave. His son, Siamak Namazi, who holds U.S. citizenship, remains imprisoned in Iran. Besides the Namazis, Xiao Wang is another American citizen imprisoned in Iran. Karen Vafadari, an American citizen along with her husband Afrin Nissari, and also Nizar Zaka, a Lebanese citizen with permanent residency in the U.S., have also been imprisoned in Iran. Ms. Nissari and her husband were released on bail at the end of Tir month. In this context, Mohseni Ejei reiterated the accusation of espionage against Dari Isfahani, contradicting the Minister of Intelligence's statements. New accusations from the Tehran prosecutor against Dari Isfahani and Zaghari, accused of nuclear espionage, have emerged.