Iran summons Britain’s ambassador over extradition of Iranian national to US

Iran has summoned Britain’s ambassador in Tehran to protest the UK’s extradition of an Iranian national to the United States on charges of sanctions violations.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday its director-general for consular affairs had met with Simon Shercliff and expressed Iran’s strong objection to the “illegal detention” and extradition of the national.

The ministry underscored its commitment to securing the Iranian individual’s release through diplomatic channels with London.

A Tuesday statement by the US Department of Justice announced that Saeid Haji Agha Mousaei, 53, had made his initial appearance in a Chicago federal court after being extradited from Britain on US export control charges.

Haji Agha Mousaei is accused of participating in a “years-long conspiracy to evade US export restrictions and transship advanced US electronic testing technology to Iran using third-party countries.”

The US government has arrested several Iranians on similar allegations in recent years.

In 2021, US prosecutors charged 10 Iranian nationals in connection with a scheme to disguise $300 million in transactions to evade US sanctions.

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