Political commentators hold that Washington is using sanctions violation charges as a lame excuse to keep top Iranian stem cell scientist Professor Masoud Soleimani behind the bars to pose further pressure on the Islamic Republic and hamper its scientific growth.
Soleimani, a professor and biomedical researcher at Tarbiat Modares University (TMU) in Tehran, was arrested by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) upon his arrival in the US in October last year.
“Basically, what they [the US] are saying is that he was trying to exchange, or he was involved in something that is on the sanctions list, which isn’t true. He had just arrived in the United States. He had not been involved in anything … The thing is that it is just an excuse. This is a prominent scientist, the top 1% in the world and his stem cell research is just unbelievable,” Marzieh Hashemi, activist and Press TV anchor said in an interview on the occasion of the first anniversary of Dr. Soleimani’s imprisonment.
“I think the actual situation is that we have to remember as far as stem cell research the United States is number one, Iran is number two and in general what we are seeing is pressure on Iran in general because of Islamic Republic of Iran 40 Years and also definitely trying to keep Iran from developing and from continuing to advance,” she added.
Hashemi went on to say that the top Iranian scientist’s arrest was “definitely pre-planned,” arguing that unfortunately Mayo Clinic seems to have played a role in this arrest.
The activist stated that it is obvious that the United States is “targeting” Iran, emphasizing that Washington has been pursuing the same policy towards the Islamic Republic for 40 years.
“If we look at the history from 40 years ago, we would see different times that Republicans and Democrats have targeted Iran whether it was increasing sanctions or scientists actually being arrested … So I think it is an issue with the American policy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran,” she noted.
Hashemi further opined that it is everyone’s responsibility to stand up for the truth, stressing that people need to use social media platforms to pressure the United States to free Dr. Soleimani.
Meanwhile, author and political analyst Michael Springmann said he believed the United States — which is controlled by the Zionists — is targeting Iranian scientists in an attempt to destroy the Islamic Republic.
“[US President Donald] Trump has been after Muslims and Arabs since the start of his administration. He has no sense of history and he is surrounded by Zionists ... It is a simple issue, it is a regulatory issue and you can work this out. You do not need to jail somebody for a couple of vials of chemical that you can buy anywhere in the world practically. So I think it is basically that Trump wants to destroy Iran,” he stated.
In a separate interview, Hassan Fathi, a political commentator, has described the United States’ arrest of Dr. Soleimani as “a human rights violation.”
“Massoud Soleimani is just one of the recent cases of US human rights violations. The US sees domestic human rights abuses as an internal matter, yet imposes sanctions against other nations on similar issues. They claim no human rights violations exist in the US which is silly,” he said.
Soleimani’s colleagues have also dismissed US prosecutors’ claims as “unacceptable,” explaining that human growth materials are readily available in the market and are not subject to Washington’s anti-Iran embargoes.
“First of all, I have to explain that when we talk about a vial we mean just a couple of micrograms. It is used only for research purposes and has no other use whatsoever. It helps a stem cell grow under that cell. We are currently buying it from European and Japanese companies and because it is used for medical research it does not fall under US sanctions,” said Mansoureh Movahedin, the head of Faculty of Medicine, Tarbiat Modares University (TMU).
Soleimani is among the top 1% of the most highly cited scientists in stem cell research and regenerative medicine, who has cooperated with different universities across the world for years.
Upon arrival in the US on October 23, 2018 on a valid J-1 visa for a six-month sabbatical leave to cooperate with researchers at the request and invitation of Mayo Clinic, one of the top medical centers in the country, he was arrested in Chicago and transferred to a jail in Atlanta, Georgia.
Soleimani is accused of bypassing US sanctions by purchasing vials containing a human growth factor -- a substance readily available on the market and not subject to Washington's embargos.
His defense attorneys say the case has been put on a slow track at the pre-trial stage and they have so far not been able to have him released on bail either.
The 49-year-old professor and biomedical researcher at Tehran's Tarbiat Modares University is reportedly suffering from several health problems which have been aggravated during his incarceration.
Almost 50 Iranian nationals are currently imprisoned in the United States under various pretexts, mainly bypassing the US sanctions. Even American citizens working for Iranian entities are not immune from US government’s hostile policies.
Back in January, the FBI took Muslim journalist Marzieh Hashemi, from St. Louis Lambert International Airport to a detention center in Washington DC without placing any charges against her, forcing her to eat pork and remove her Islamic hijab.
Source: Fars News Agency
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