Iran denies diplomat was arrested in Turkey for allegedly helping kill dissident
The allegations stem from the 2019 killing of Masoud Molavi Vardanjani in Istanbul.
The Iranian government has denied a report stating that an Iranian diplomat in Turkey was arrested in relation to the killing of a dissident in Istanbul.
Turkish authorities arrested an Iranian official suspected of involvement in the November 2019 killing of Masoud Molavi Vardanjani, who was a critic of the Islamic Republic. The official, named Mohammad Reza Naserzadeh, was arrested this week for allegedly planning the deadly shooting, Reuters reported on Friday.
However, Iran's Foreign Ministry said Turkish media falsely reported that an employee at the Iranian consulate in Istanbul was arrested.
“None of the staffers of our country’s Consulate General in Istanbul has been or is engaged, closely or remotely, in the activities alleged by that (Turkish) media. Moreover, none of the employees of our country’s Consulate General has been arrested,” said Saeed Khatibzadeh on Friday, according to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
