Source in Iran confirms diplomat's arrest prior to presidential elections
A source within the Iran's Foreign Ministry has confirmed that a
senior Iranian diplomat linked to Iran's reformists was detained in
Tehran in March, ISNA news agency reported.
The ministry confirmed earlier report by Reuters about the arrest
of the diplomat.
Reuters reported on April 30 that Bagher Asadi, who has previously
been a senior diplomat at Iran's U.N. mission in New York and was
most recently a director at the secretariat of the so-called D8
group of developing nations in Istanbul, was possibly arrested as
part of a crackdown on dissidents ahead of the June presidential
election.
The source anonymously told Reuters that it is unclear why Asadi
was arrested, adding that it is also unknown where Asadi is being
held.
Iran will hold the 11th presidential election on June 14. The
voters will select the successor of the current President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, who is not able to participate in the elections for
the third term according to the country's constitutional laws.
The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national
election and the Guardian Council vets the candidates for
qualifications.