UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is reportedly making a secret attempt to free an elderly Iranian-American citizen detained in Iran.
The US journal Foreign Policy reported Tuesday that Guterres wrote a letter a week ago to President Hassan Rouhani asking for the release on humanitarian grounds of Baquer Namazi, an 81-year-old retired UNICEF official.
On Oct. 18, Iran sentenced Namazi and his youngest son, Siamak, 45 —also a dual citizen— to 10 years in prison for collaborating with a foreign government, namely the US.
The Trump administration has been working to secure the Namazis’ release after the Obama administration tried and failed to do so.
This month, Nikki Haley, the US envoy to the UN, met with Namazi’s older son, Babak, to discuss the case of his father and brother.
The report said Guterres is acting out of humanitarian concern for Namazi and not at the instruction of the US government. Namazi is in poor health, his older son has claimed.
