Iran announces indictments for 3 dual nationals, foreigner

This undated photo made available by Amanda Ghahremani, shows retired Iranian-Canadian professor Homa Hoodfar. A Tehran prosecutor said Monday, July 11, 2016, that Hoodfar, who is a retired professor at Montreal's Concordia University, is among four people with foreign ties indicted on unknown charges in the Islamic Republic. Iran does not recognize dual nationalities. (Courtesy of Amanda Ghahremani via AP) This undated photo made available by Amanda Ghahremani, shows retired Iranian-Canadian professor Homa Hoodfar. A Tehran prosecutor said Monday, July 11, 2016, that Hoodfar, who is a retired professor at Montreal's Concordia University, is among four people with foreign ties indicted on unknown charges in the Islamic Republic. Iran does not recognize dual nationalities. (Courtesy of Amanda Ghahremani via AP)

By Associated Press July 11, 2016 4 min read

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Iran announced Monday that three dual nationals and a foreigner held in the country have been indicted on unknown charges, part of a series of detentions in the wake of last year’s nuclear deal with world powers.

The four, who have ties to Britain, Canada and the U.S., all are believed to have been detained by hard-liners in Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The reasons for their arrests remain unclear, though the husband of one of them says his family was told by the Guard she’d be released if the British government agreed to their demands.

Iran’s semi-official ISNA and Tasnim news agencies quoted Tehran’s prosecutor, Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi, naming the four charged as:

– Homa Hoodfar , an Iranian-Canadian woman who is a retired professor at Montreal’s Concordia University;

– Siamak Namazi , an Iranian-American businessman who has advocated for closer ties between the two countries and whose father is also held in Tehran;