Conflicting reports about the arrest of an Iranian nuclear negotiator have been circling in Iranian media since August 2016, when Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, spokesman for the judiciary, confirmed the news. The individual, whose name was not initially revealed, is Abdol Rasul Dori Esfahani, a dual Iranian-Canadian national and member of the negotiation team who worked on economic and banking sanctions.

On Oct. 4, the news of Dori Esfahani’s arrest resurfaced when Mohseni-Ejei confirmed his conviction. At the press conference, Mohseni-Ejei said that Dori Esfahani was accused of “spying for two [foreign] spy agencies and was sentenced to five years in prison.” He added that Dori Esfahani also had a “financial case,” meaning corruption, which he has not yet been sentenced for.

But on Oct. 11, Mahmoud Alavi, Iran’s intelligence minister, threw doubt on the case of Dori Esfahani, suggesting that he was operating on behalf of their agency. “The Intelligence Ministry was responsible for the protection of the nuclear negotiations,” said Alavi. “On this issue, it performed one of its brightest activities in this field.” Alavi continued, “The negotiations took place under the most secure environment by the Intelligence Ministry, and the ministry gave continuous reports to the highest authorities in the country.”

Specifically mentioning Dori Esfahani, Alavi said, “[He] not only did not commit any spying in the face of [efforts] by foreign agencies, he consciously resisted and cooperated with the ministry’s anti-spying department.”