Iran Reacts to Arrest of Nationals over Alleged Link with Drone Attack on US Forces

In an interview with Tasnim on Saturday, Vahid Jalalzadeh, the Iranian foreign minister’s deputy for consular, parliamentary, and Iranian expatriates’ affairs, deplored the “unjust and illegal” arrest of two Iranian nationals in Italy and the US.

The US federal prosecutors in Boston on December 16 charged 38-year-old Mohammad Abedini, the co-founder of an Iranian-based company, and Mahdi Sadeqi, 42, an employee of Massachusetts-based semiconductor manufacturer Analog Devices, with conspiring to violate US export laws.

Abedini, a dual citizen of Switzerland and Iran, was arrested in Milan, Italy, at the request of the US government, which will seek his extradition. Sadeqi, an Iranian-born naturalized US citizen, who lives in Natick, Massachusetts, was also arrested.

The two Iranians have been arrested and charged by the US authorities with allegedly exporting sensitive technology that was used in a drone attack that killed three US soldiers and wounded 47 others at a US military outpost in Jordan, near the Syrian border, in January.

Jalalzadeh told Tasnim that Iran maintains that the “cruel and unilateral US sanctions against Iran” and also the arrest of the two Iranian nationals “violate all international laws and principles.”

He noted that the Iranian Foreign Ministry has taken action after the arrest of Abedini and Sadeqi in the US and Italy.

The diplomat stated that the ambassador of Switzerland, whose country represents US interests in Tehran, and the charge d’affaires of Italy in Iran have been “invited” by the Foreign Ministry to be notified of Iran’s protest at the “unlawful arrests”.

Jalalzadeh added that Iran’s Interests Section in Washington, D.C., has also taken a series of measures in protest at the apprehension of Sadeqi.