"We regret hearing the news of Dr. Afrasiabi's arrest on faked charges, [an action] taken in the last hours of [Donald] Trump administration, known for his stubbornness and anti-Iranian bias," Miryousefi wrote on his Twitter account.
"Dr. Afrasiabi was not working as one of [Iran's] mission agents, but he is a university professor and an expert in International Relations. He provided advice on international issues to the [Iran] mission, and his cooperation with us was open and very transparent from the beginning,” he continued.
The United States yesterday arrested Afrasiabi, who teaches at Boston University and other US universities, and accused him of undeclared activities to advance Iran's interests.
The US Department of Justice in a statement has announced that it has indicted Afrasiabi in a Brooklyn Court. The US Department of Justice has accused him of violating the "Law on Registration of Foreign Countries’ Brokers" through unannounced activities on behalf of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The US Justice Department stated that the allegations made in the complaint are allegations and that the accused is innocent until proven guilty. If the Court finds Afrasiabi guilty of the charges, he will be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison, the statement is read.
The allegations come as the US government, as part of its "maximum pressure" policy, has stepped up its crackdown on pro-Iranian independent analysts, he added.
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