TEHRAN – Iran's foreign ministry raised concerns with the Swiss ambassador and the Italian chargé d'affaires regarding the arrest of two Iranian nationals at the behest of the United States.

Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary, and Iranian Expatriates Affairs Vahid Jalalzadeh condemned the arrests of two Iranian nationals as "unjust and illegal," emphasizing that they violated international law. He lodged formal protests with the Swiss ambassador (representing U.S. interests in Iran) and the Italian chargé d'affaires (where one of the arrests occurred).

In remarks to Iranian media, Jalalzadeh assured that both the consular and political sections of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are closely monitoring the cases of these individuals. "We are committed to pursuing this matter until a satisfactory resolution is achieved," he affirmed.

Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi (38) and Mehdi Mohammadzadeh (42) were arrested on December 16, under the pretext of involvement in a January drone attack targeting an illegal U.S. military base in Syria. Resistance groups in Iraq took responsibility for the operation against the base located near the Jordanian border. 

‘Contact lost with Najafabadi’

Najafabadi’s has been unreachable since he was arrested in Italy while he was preparing to travel to Switzerland where he lives, his family and acquaintances said to the media. His current whereabouts are unknown. 

Najafabadi’s university acquaintance told Tasnim News Agency that Najafabadi, a Sharif University graduate, is the CEO of Sanat Danesh Rahpooyan Aflak (SDRA), an Iranian company producing precision measurement equipment with applications in various fields, including medicine and sports. 

He also previously led Illumove SA, a Swiss company specializing in motion capture equipment, operating under Swiss governmental oversight. The source noted that the advanced technology in these companies' products allows for diverse uses after legal sales in Iran.

Whether Najafabadi's company's products were used in the drones that targeted the American base early this year remains unclear. However, no industrial or scientific tool manufacturer is expected to control the end use of its products. The arrest appears to be a U.S. attempt to deflect attention from local opposition to its military presence in Syria and Iraq. 

Information on the other detainee, Mohammadzadeh, is limited; he is a U.S. resident arrested in Massachusetts around the same time as Najafabadi.