An American businessman was imprisoned in Iran on charges of espionage. This is reported by NBC News with reference to a family friend.
According to the publication, Emad Shargi, a 56-year-old US citizen of Iranian origin, was summoned to a Tehran court on November 30. There he was informed that he was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 10 years. The verdict was passed without trial. For six weeks, the Shargi family did not hear anything about him, but did not publicize the case for fear for his well-being.
The businessman has become the fourth US citizen in custody in Iran. The publication notes that Shargi’s verdict just a few weeks after Joe Biden’s victory in the elections could negatively affect the plans of the US President-elect to normalize relations with Iran.
In early December, Joe Biden announced that he plans to return Washington to an agreement on the Iranian nuclear program – the so-called Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA). At the same time, it became known in early January that Iran began enriching uranium up to 20 percent above the norms established by the JCP.
In May 2020, the Iranian authorities announced that they were suspending the implementation of part of the obligations under the agreement. This decision of Tehran is caused by the fact that in May 2018 the United States accused the Iranian side of violating the terms of the plan and unilaterally withdrew from the deal concluded in 2015, and also imposed sanctions on Iran. The JCPOA agreement on Iran was signed in the summer of 2015 between Tehran and six intermediary countries – Russia, the USA, Great Britain, China, France, Germany.