Tehran says it has not yet received an official word from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the reported arrest of three suspects in connection with the June 2013 abduction of an Iranian national.
�We, too, have heard the news [of the arrests] from media, but have not yet received any official report from the Emirati side regarding the case,� said Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham. Media reports had earlier suggested that three suspects have been detained in connection with the kidnapping of Abbas Yazdanpanah in the UAE.
�So, we are waiting to receive details on the case from the UAE government,� she added.
Afkham further noted that the Iranian Embassy in the UAE has sent notes to the country�s Foreign Ministry in an effort to follow up on the cases of such Iranian nationals and to gain consular access to them based on international conventions.

The spokeswoman also emphasized that ever since the publication of reports regarding the abduction of Yazdanpanah in June 2013, the ministry has sought to receive full information about his fate.

�We expect the UAE government to provide us with information on this Iranian national, given that he is an important figure in the Crescent file.�

Reports indicated that Yazdanpanah, born in 1969, is a British passport holder of Iranian origin and the owner of a publicly traded company.

Relatives and friends of the 44-year-old say he disappeared without a trace on June 25, when he was last seen leaving his office.

At the time of his disappearance, Yazdanpanah had allegedly been giving evidence by video link to a long-running international arbitration tribunal case at The Hague, involving the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and Crescent Petroleum, a privately owned oil and gas company with headquarters in Sharjah.

In August 2010, the NIOC cancelled its contract with the Crescent Petroleum to export natural gas to the UAE over the pricing mechanism and some other technical issues.

Meanwhile, Afkham vehemently rejected in November 2013 reports accusing Iran of being involved in Yazdanpanah�s disappearance, arguing that he was considered a �very important witness in � the Crescent [Petroleum]�case, and his [testimony]� would be in Iran�s interest.�

By Press TV

 

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