Iran arrests member of negotiation team for espionage

Iranian authorities detained Abdolrasoul Dorri Esfahani, a dual Iranian-Canadian national and reportedly a member of a team that worked on the Iran Nuclear Deal last year, for alleged espionage.

Iran has arrested a member of its nuclear negotiating team on charges he spied for a foreign entity.

Iran’s legal system confirmed on Sunday that a member of the negotiation team with world powers was detained on suspicion of “infiltration.”

Iranian news outlets reported last Wednesday that authorities detained Abdolrasoul Dorri Esfahani, a dual Iranian-Canadian national and a member of the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants in Canada.

Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejehi, a judiciary spokesman, said on Sunday that “the report is correct. He was released based on bail. Yet, his charge is not proved.”

He offered no further details on the case, and it remains unclear why Esfahani is under investigation. His release on bail suggests the charges against him are not serious ones.

Esfahani reportedly worked as a member of a team that negotiated the lifting of economic sanctions under one of the main negotiators for last year’s controversial nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1. He was also an adviser to the head of Iran’s Central Bank.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry initially denied the report.

By: World Israel News Staff
AP contributed to this report.

EsfahaniEspionageIranIran nuclear dealSanctions