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West Uses Dual Citizens for Subterfuge

West Uses Dual Citizens for Subterfuge
West Uses Dual Citizens for Subterfuge

Spokesman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission says “hostile [western] intelligence services” use people of dual nationality as pawns to carry out “infiltration missions”.

Seyyed Hossein Naqavi Hosseini made the statement in an interview with ICANA on Wednesday, after a meeting between the parliamentary panel and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ intelligence wing.

“This extraordinary session was held to discuss the infiltration project ... in various fields, including political, economic, social, cultural, scientific, technical and ideological spheres,” he said. “The goals of enemies in the short, mid and long-term were discussed along with examples of their ploys.”

Western intentions to make inroads into the country were first raised by the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last year, after the conclusion of a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in July 2015.

Under the deal, the US, EU and UN are committed to remove their nuclear-related sanctions against Iran, in exchange for temporary curbs on Tehran’s nuclear work.

While Iran seeks to use the chance to bolster the economy by attracting foreign investment and technology, the Leader has warned of “western infiltration”, disguised as trade and investment in particular, to affect top officials and decision-makers and undermine the country’s stability.

According to the spokesman, during meeting, “it was mentioned that the (hostile) elements used in the infiltration projects are people with dual nationalities.”

  Slew of Arrests

Over the last year, several Iranians holding western passports have been arrested on security and espionage charges during their visits to Iran.

The detainees include British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an employee of the British Thomson Reuters Foundation; American-Iranian business consultant Siamak Namazi and Canadian-Iranian anthropologist Homa Hoodfar, among others.

Naqavi Hosseini also said a representative of an unidentified Iranian state organization in the nuclear negotiations between Iran and world powers who was recently arrested on suspicion of espionage also has dual citizenship.

The lawmaker did not elaborate on the suspect, who has reportedly been released on bail.

Tehran’s Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi on Aug. 16 announced the arrest of a dual national linked to British intelligence that was “working in an economic sector related to Iran”, but made no mention of the person being in the nuclear negotiating team.

On Sunday, judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei told reporters a “spy who had infiltrated the nuclear team has been arrested”, but did not explicitly confirm that the arrested person had a second nationality.

 

Financialtribune.com