How Iran lured a dissident from France to execution yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Zam: The family that picked their son over the revolution IranSource by Arash Azizi
Ruhollah Zam, a dissident journalist who was captured in what Tehran calls an intelligence operation, speaks during his trial in Tehran, Iran June 2, 2020. Picture taken June 2, 2020. Mizan News Agency/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
“Goodbye, my son; a son who was a father, a husband, a brother and a comrade; a comrade to the very end,” wrote prominent reformist cleric Mohammad Ali Zam in an Instagram post. He was the father of dissident journalist Ruhollah Zam, who was brutally executed on December 12.
In 2019, Ruhollah was lured to Iraq, arrested upon arrival and handed over to Iranian intelligence agents who then took him to Iran where was put on trial for a long list of allegations. Among those were spying for Israel and France, provoking armed forces to mutiny and collaborate with the U
President Rouhani held a with domestic and foreign journalists. He discussed a broad range of issues, including a return to the JCPOA by the U.S. and Iran, the country’s economic problems, the recent execution of opposition figure Ruhollah Zam, and differences between his administration and the conservative parliament.
Rouhani rejected negotiating a “stronger nuclear deal” with the U.S. or having negotiations over Iran’s missile program and regional influence. Rouhani stated: “What is important for us today is that America returns completely to its commitments and announces it made a mistake and after it has returned to the JCPOA we can think about the path of compensation for the damages that have been imposed on us.”
Khamenei backs talks to remove US sanctions
In a rare intervention, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has backed efforts by President Hassan Rouhani’s administration to lift the sanctions that have been imposed on Iran since the US withdrew from the 2015 international nuclear deal two-and-a-half years ago.
In a meeting with the family members of slain Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani on Wednesday, Khamenei advised the officials not to waste time.
“If the sanctions can be lifted, we should not hesitate for even an hour,” Khamenei’s official website quoted him as saying. If the sanctions can be lifted in a correct, wise, Iranian-Islamic and dignified manner, this should be done