Iran will remain uncompromising in its tough line on dual nationals acting against its national security, a lawmaker said. “Definitely, the Islamic Republic [of Iran] will not sacrifice its security for improved relations with other countries and acts within the law to confront illegal moves against its [public] order,” Valiollah Nanvakenari also told ICANA on Sunday. Nanvakenari’s remarks came after the judiciary confirmed it had detained a dual national earlier this month in Tehran linked to Britain’s intelligence service. Tehran prosecutor general, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, said the detainee was working in an “economic sector related to Iran”, but did not reveal the identity or the second nationality of the accused person. He said the arrest was part of a crackdown against “western infiltration”. It was the latest in a string of arrests of dual nationals over the past year. “Dual nationals are arrested only when a criminal offence is committed,” Nanvakenari said. “The judicial apparatus of the Islamic Republic is an independent institution, so its rulings are not politically motivated.”
