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.

By Azer News

 

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