UN-Truth

Agence France Press had the scoop early on Wednesday afternoon: “Iran frees ex-nuclear official on bail“.

The story, written by Farhad Pouladi, reported that “Iran on Wednesday freed on bail a moderate former nuclear official after holding him on national security-related charges for more than a week. Hossein Mousavian, a close ally of ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was freed after paying bail of 2 billion rials (215,000 dollars) at around 1:00 pm (0930 GMT), Iranian media reported … Mousavian, the spokesman of a moderate negotiating team that served under reformist president Mohammad Khatami to 2005, was arrested on April 30. He also served as ambassador to Germany under Rafsanjani … Sources indicated to the semi-official Fars news agency that investigations would continue into Moussavian’s case after his release. ‘He has expressed sorrow and remorse over his deeds’, said the Fars source. ‘The initial investigation is now completed and the subsequent investigation will be done by summoning him to the prosecutors’ office in person’. It said the Moussavian’s accusations ‘are not related to today or yesterday but have to do with (actions) many years ago’ … Fars has reported Moussavian was charged with spying on Iran’s controversial atomic programme but no officials have gone on the record to confirm this. Government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham denied that the arrest of Moussavian targeted as a group the moderate officials who handled the Iranian nuclear case until Ahmadinejad’s election. ‘The issue is not specifically related to the nuclear people. The nuclear issue is not the only focus. Mousavian’s case is specifically linked to him as an individual’, he told reporters.
Read the AFP report here.

Filed under: Disarmament, Iran