Rouhani’s brother detained; U.S. citizen sentenced
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has imprisoned a Chinese-american man for 10 years after accusing him of “infiltrating” the country and detained President Hassan Rouhani’s brother over allegations of financial misconduct, authorities said Sunday.
News of the detentions comes less than two months after relative moderate Rouhani beat a hard-line opponent to win re-election by running in large part on his record of pursuing greater engagement with the West. They were announced by the judiciary, a pillar of hard-liners’ influence.
The Chinese-american dual national was identified as Xiyue Wang, a 37-year-old history researcher, according to Mizan Online, a website affiliated with the judiciary.
“It was verified and determined that he was gathering (information) and was involved in infiltration,” Judiciary spokesman Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejehi said during a routine press briefing.
The U.S. State Department was not immediately able to provide details on the case.
The arrest of the president’s brother, meanwhile, stunned many in Iran.
Ejehi said the brother, Hossein Fereidoun, was taken into custody over allegations of financial impropriety.
Fereidoun was part of the negotiating team that ultimately sealed Iran’s landmark nuclear deal with world powers in 2015, winning the country relief from international sanctions in exchange for limits on its atomic energy program.
The deal was unpopular with Iranian hard-liners, whose influence runs deep within the judiciary. They saw the nuclear deal as giving too much away in exchange for too little.
Fereidoun has long been a target of hard-liners, who have accused him of misdeeds including money laundering and misappropriation of government funds.