Iran slams US arrest of nationals as stunt

Tehran has slammed the apprehension of Iranian nationals in the US as part of a propaganda campaign against the Islamic Republic.

According to Press TV, Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary and Iranian Expatriates Affairs Hassan Qashqavi told reporters on Friday “All the hype and traps against Iranian citizens abroad are merely propaganda and media speculation and no offense has been committed by Iranian citizens.”
He pointed to the recent arrest of Iranian citizen Mozaffar Khazaei in the US under the pretext of circumventing the sanctions against Tehran and noted, “There have been similar cases in other countries before, and the Iranian citizens have returned to the country after acquittal.”
However, the diplomat noted that no comment can be made about the incident until investigations into the arrest of the Iranian citizen are finalized.
Khazaei, 59 years old, was arrested on January 9 in the state of New Jersey over the accusation of robbery and trafficking of plane parts. He was heading to the German city of Frankfurt.