Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi dismissed on Friday, October 4, French remarks about a Franco-Iranian dual national, Fariba Adelkhah, as a blatant "interference" in the Islamic Republic's internal affairs.
France's foreign ministry on Thursday, October 3, officially demanded Iran release the French-Iranian dual national.
Ms. Adelkhah, 60, is a France-educated anthropologist who has been researching director at the "Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques" (National Foundation of Political Sciences) since 2004, in Paris.
On July 14, 2019, Persian-language media based outside of Iran reported that she had been detained in Iran. Her arrest would date back to June 7, when she last connected to her WhatsApp account.
The Iranian Human Rights website, Gozaar, initially disclosed that the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps' fearsome Intelligence Organization arrested Adelkhah and held her at Tehran's notorious Evin Prison.
French authorities say that the Islamic Republic authorities have denied Adelkhah access to consular assistance.
Tehran does not recognize dual nationality and in many cases disregards it.
"It is vital and urgent for the Iranian authorities to be transparent in this case as well as for all cases of foreign nationals arrested in Iran", French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll told reporters in a daily online briefing.
Responding to the statement, Abbas Mousavi fired back on Friday, "The dual citizenship of Iranian nationals is not recognized under the laws and regulations of the Islamic Republic, and as such Ms. Adelkhah is considered an Iranian citizen and enjoys from all citizenship rights known for Iranian nationals."
Meanwhile, he cautioned that such an intervention would not only help to resolve Ms. Adelkhah's case, but it will also further complicate the process of her trial.
In the past, Adelkhah used to frequently visit Iran without any problem.
There are dozens of dual nationals currently behind bars in Iran.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly accused the Islamic Republic authorities of using dual citizens as a bargaining chip for their political ends.
French daily Figaro had earlier maintained that the Islamic Republic authorities probably arrested Adelkhah to exchange her with an Iranian behind bars in France later.