State Department Issues Travel Advisory: Iran Targeting U.S. Citizens
In the wake of the recent arrests of four Iranian-U.S. scholars and activists, the U.S. State Department has issued a travel advisory warning U.S. citizens against traveling to Iran. The State Department accused Islamic authorities in Iran "of a 'disturbing pattern' of harassment of Iranian-Americans," wrote the Associated Press. You can read the full article here.
A number of human rights agencies, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, urged Iran to cease its continued "harassment of dual nationals." The four detained Iran-American citizens include two scholars, a peace activist and a journalist. They have been charged with spying and sowing dissent in "the wider community of journalists, writers, scholars and activists." A fifth multi-national, an Iranian-French student making a film in Iran, had his passport confiscated by Iranian authorities and may also be in custody.
The U.S. State Department unilaterally refuted the espionage charges against its citizens. All four were in Iran to visit family or in connection with their jobs. Iran's disturbing pattern of harassment of U.S. nationals continues to undermine any chance of relations between the two countries. Iran's mercurial behavior is jeopardizing any chance of joint efforts with the U.S. to solve the problems in Iraq and the Middle East. You can't talk peace but practice war and deceit. Iran is not to be trusted.
A number of human rights agencies, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, urged Iran to cease its continued "harassment of dual nationals." The four detained Iran-American citizens include two scholars, a peace activist and a journalist. They have been charged with spying and sowing dissent in "the wider community of journalists, writers, scholars and activists." A fifth multi-national, an Iranian-French student making a film in Iran, had his passport confiscated by Iranian authorities and may also be in custody.
The U.S. State Department unilaterally refuted the espionage charges against its citizens. All four were in Iran to visit family or in connection with their jobs. Iran's disturbing pattern of harassment of U.S. nationals continues to undermine any chance of relations between the two countries. Iran's mercurial behavior is jeopardizing any chance of joint efforts with the U.S. to solve the problems in Iraq and the Middle East. You can't talk peace but practice war and deceit. Iran is not to be trusted.
