Who is Accused of Nuclear Espionage?

The allegations against the JCPOA continue, with the issue of a spy in the nuclear team resurfacing after the arrest of Abdolrasool Dori Isfahani in 2016. This has now expanded to accusations against three other individuals named 'Mashkoor', 'Ramazani', and 'Sirus Naseri' by Mojtaba Zolnour, a member of parliament from Qom. Abdolrasool Dori Isfahani, a dual-national expert close to Iran's nuclear team, is said to have actively participated in some of Iran's international treaties over the past two decades, resulting in nearly two billion euros being returned to Iran. While Dori Isfahani is identified as a board member of Asia Insurance and an advisor to the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, conservative media portray him as a British and American infiltrator in Iran's nuclear team, claiming he had significant influence in drafting key clauses related to economic sanctions in the JCPOA, which are now the source of many of the current crises facing the Islamic Republic. Concurrently, Hamid Baidi Nejad, Iran's ambassador to Britain, stated on Instagram that Mr. Dori Isfahani was not a core member of the negotiating team but was introduced to the nuclear negotiation team by what Baidi Nejad referred to as 'his organization.' Hussein Alizadeh, a former diplomat residing in Finland, discusses the vetting process for experts in Iranian diplomatic missions, explaining that all government institutions in Iran have a security department responsible for ensuring that individuals are qualified for specific positions. Despite the judiciary announcing Dori Isfahani's conviction and arrest for providing information to foreigners, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, spokesperson for Hassan Rouhani's government, insists that espionage matters should fall under the purview of the Ministry of Intelligence. According to Article 10 of the establishment of the Ministry of Intelligence, the responsibility for uncovering plots and espionage against the independence and security of the country lies with this institution. However, the question arises as to which entity is responsible for handling espionage allegations under Iranian law. Abdolkarim Lahiji, a lawyer residing in France, explains that all information related to a country's security, especially foreign security, should be collected by the designated security-intelligence agency. If it concludes that confidential information has been provided to a foreign power, it is termed espionage if the individual is foreign, or treason if they are a citizen. The Ministry of Intelligence must refer to the judiciary, which then determines whether the Ministry's claims have a valid legal basis. On October 10, 2023, the Tasnim news agency reported that Nasser Mousavi Largani, a representative from Falaorjan, stated, 'We have previously had multiple spies in the negotiating team that the government trusted, but we did not pursue these issues as it would undermine the regime.' The question is what has changed in the country's conditions that discussing espionage involving a close associate of the nuclear team does not harm the regime. Hussein Alizadeh responds that the government does not show much sensitivity to this issue, wanting to demonstrate that their negotiating team is clean and that espionage, in the specific sense, could not have infiltrated the nuclear negotiations. Those who strongly opposed the JCPOA, viewing it as a 'Turkmenchay' for Iran, also want to argue that this 'Turkmenchay' was imposed on them under conditions where even spies existed within their nuclear negotiating team, thus fundamentally undermining the foundation. Abdolrasool Dori Isfahani has been sentenced to five years in prison, and his financial corruption case is reportedly under review by judicial authorities. His name has been associated in the media with dual-nationality suspects alongside Siamak and Baqer Namazi, individuals whose names were mentioned in the context of the release of American prisoners in Iran during the JCPOA negotiations but who continue to serve their sentences in the Islamic Republic's prisons. Abdolkarim Lahiji discusses the differences in handling cases of dual-nationality suspects versus others, noting that Iranian civil law does not recognize dual nationality unless the Iranian government revokes it as a punishment for treason. Therefore, merely holding dual nationality is not illegal under Iranian law. However, currently, unfortunately, dozens of Iranians with foreign nationalities, whether American or European, are imprisoned in the Islamic Republic, some facing heavy sentences while others await trial. One of the contentious issues between the Islamic Republic and both the U.S. and many European governments, especially the British government, relates to these Iranian citizens who also hold the nationality of those countries. According to media reports in Iran, Mr. Dori Isfahani's trial was held behind closed doors, and the indictment and verdict against him have not yet been published.