Iranian scientist Sirous Asgar to return in two-three days from US jail: Foreign Ministry

Sirous Asgari, Iranian scientists jailed in the US, is all set to return back to the Islamic Republic after years of tribulation, country’s foreign minister reportedly said. A US court in 2016, had accused the Iranian professor of stealing ‘state secrets’, however, he was acquitted in November. In May this year, it was reported that Asgari has contracted COVID-19 while being the US custody.

Meanwhile, speaking to a state news agency, Abbas Mousavi, spokesman for the ministry confirmed that Asgari’s case had been closed in America and he would “probably” return to the nation in two or three days if "no issues or obstacles come up”. This comes as Asgari, earlier in March, had revealed that despite his exoneration, US’  Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency continued to keep him in a detention centre in Lusnana without “basic sanitation”.

Iran slams US

This comes as Mousavi, in the same press conference, called on the US to “stop the violence” against its own people. Speaking to reporters, he said that the world has heard their “outcry” over the state of oppression, and are standing by them. Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif had slammed the US saying some people don’t believe that black lives matter after #BlackLivesMatter protests were held across the United States. Zarif shared an edited copy of US secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s statement from 2018 in which the former CIA chief had called out on the Iran government saying it was squandering its citizens. 

Read: Iran Foreign Ministry Calls On US To 'stop Violence' Against Its Own People

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However, the new version had words replaced to target ‘American dictators’ and said that Americans were tired of “racism, corruption injustice, and incompetence from leaders”. The US has been critical of Iran’s handling of protests and recently, it sanctioned Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli for alleged role in serious human rights abuses against Iranian people, including giving orders to the police to use lethal force on protestors. 

Read: Britain, France, Germany Condemn US' Decision To Terminate Waiver For Companies In Iran

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