He made the remark on Wednesday, saying that as the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif already announced the departure of professor Sirous Asgari to Iran, he will arrive in the county on Wednesday morning.
“Mr. Asgari was acquitted of false charges through diplomatic efforts and the endeavors made by the Office for the Protection of Iran's Interests in Washington and Iran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York," Mousavi said.
“Sirous Asgari had to stay in the US due to the pandemic and the status of flights,” he noted.
“Speculations regarding his swap with another prisoner is baseless and he was released after he was acquitted,” he added.
Dr. Asgari, a materials science, and engineering professor was acquitted in November on federal charges of stealing trade secrets related to his academic work with a university in Ohio. Although the US government lost its case on all charges, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) has kept him indefinitely detained since the trial. He spoke out in March about the unsanitary and “inhumane” conditions in detention.
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