The US and Iran, once close allies, broke off diplomatic relations in 1980, shortly after the Islamic Revolution. Since then, the two have exchanged information via the Swiss embassy.
Keystone / Peter Klaunzer
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Iran has summoned the Swiss ambassador in Tehran, who represents US interests. This was to protest against the arrest in the US and Italy of two Iranians suspected of transferring sensitive technologies, local media reported.
On Monday, the US justice system formally accused Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi and Mohammad Abedini of “exporting sophisticated electronic components to Iran”, in violation of US regulations and US sanctions against Iran.
These components were used in a drone attack in Jordan in January that claimed the lives of three US servicemen, the US Department of Justice said in a statement. Iran had denied any involvement and denounced the allegations as “baseless”.
More
More
What are Switzerland’s good offices good for?
This content was published on
As tensions and oil prices rise in the Middle East, the Swiss foreign ministry is offering its good offices. But what are they?
Abedini, 38, was arrested in Italy on Monday at the request of US authorities, according to the US Department of Justice. Sadeghi, 42, is incarcerated in the US and holds dual nationality, according to the US Justice Department.
‘Contrary to all laws and norms’
“These arrests are contrary to all international laws and standards,” said Vahid Jalalzadeh, an official of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, quoted on Saturday by the Tasnim news agency.
Jalalzadeh added that Iran had voiced its protest in an “invitation” to the Ministry addressed to the Swiss ambassador in Teheran and the chargé d’affaires of the Italian embassy.
The US and Iran, once close allies, broke off diplomatic relations in 1980, shortly after the Islamic Revolution overthrew the Washington-backed Pahlavi dynasty and American diplomats were taken hostage in their embassy in Teheran.
Since then, the two countries have exchanged information indirectly through the Swiss embassy in Iran, which represents American interests in the country.
Translated from French by DeepL/jdp
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
More
Swiss invention: 90-year anniversary of first T-bar ski lift
This content was published on
On Monday it will be 90 years since the world’s first T-bar ski lift went into service in Davos. This Swiss invention was an instant success.
Novo Nordisk stock market plunge drags down Swiss device maker Ypsomed
This content was published on
The Danish pharmaceutical giant, Novo Nordisk, faced setbacks on Friday that weighed on the share price of Swiss injection device manufacturer Ypsomed.
