546 imprisoned Iranians in foreign countries freed

TEHRAN, July 7 (MNA) – A number of 546 Iranians imprisoned in foreign countries have been released over the past year, said Hassan Qashqavi, the deputy foreign minister for consular affairs.

Twenty Iranians from Turkmen prisons and other twelve from Iraqi prisons have been released during the recent weeks and some other Iranians imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates will be freed in the near future, Qashqavi told the Mehr News Agency.

He said this is a responsibility of the Foreign Ministry to pursue and solve problems of the country’s nationals abroad.

According to Qashqavi, 64 Iranians are imprisoned in the U.S; some of them on political charges, and some have American or dual citizenships.

Elsewhere, the former Foreign Ministry spokesman said about 4 million Iranians live in foreign countries. However, he said in his view this number stands about 5 million.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Qashqavi reiterated that Shahram Amiri was abducted in Saudi Arabia.

Shahram Amiri, a university researcher working for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, was kidnapped by American agents during a pilgrimage to the holy city of Medina last year.

“The film footages, which have been released recently proved that our view on Amiri’s abduction in Saudi Arabia was true,” Qashqavi noted.

He also said that Amiri’s family is seriously pursuing his case and that the Foreign Ministry is also making efforts to help him return home.

Plans to establish new consulates

Qashqavi also said the Foreign Ministry plans to establish up to seven new consulates in different parts of the world in the future.

The preliminary agreements have been made and the Foreign Ministry will release more information in the future, he explained.