Iran releases British-Iranian academic: London

A British-Iranian scientist detained in Tehran since April for his alleged role in an "infiltration network" has returned to London, the Foreign Office said on Tuesday.

Abbas Edalat returned to Britain last week, the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII), a charity that Edalat founded, said.

"We can confirm that a British-Iranian dual national who was detained in Tehran has returned to the UK," the Foreign Office said in a statement, when asked about Abbas Edalat.

Edalat's arrest and jailing was "a case of misinformation and misunderstanding by the Iranian security apparatus," CASMII said on its website.

The professor of computer science and mathematics at Imperial College London, was arrested by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, which raided his home and confiscated his computer, according to the New York-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran.

The Foreign Office did not disclose details of the academic's release.

At least 30 dual nationals have been arrested in Iran in recent years, mostly on espionage charges.

British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in Tehran in April 2016 and is serving a five-year jail sentence for sedition - a charge she has denied.

The Foreign Office said it continues “to take action on all our consular cases in Iran in line with what we believe will produce the best outcomes in their cases.”

Earlier this month, an Australian-based academic was detained in Iran on charges of infiltration after she reportedly attempted to leave the Islamic Republic.

Meimanat Hosseini-Chavoshi is a specialist in populations and was affiliated with the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Reuters reported.

She was arrested as when she attempted to leave Iran, the state news agency IRNA said.

Iran does not recognise dual nationals.

Agencies contributed to this report.

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