Deputy FM describes detention of Iranian nationals in US as propaganda stunt

An Iranian deputy foreign minister blasted the US for attempting to accuse and arrest Iranian nationals on baseless charges and fabricated stories. “All the hype and traps against Iranian citizens abroad are merely propaganda and media speculation and no offense has been committed by Iranian citizens,” Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary and Iranian Expatriates Affairs Hassan Qashqavi told reporters on Friday. He pointed to the recent arrest of Iranian citizen Mozafar 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.