German national arrested in Iran for photographing oilfield

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – A German national has been reportedly arrested by Iran's security agencies for taking photographs at an oilfield in southwestern Khuzestan province.

Jam-e Jam newspaper, which is affiliated with the state broadcaster, reported Tuesday that the German national was arrested while taking photographs at the Aghajari oilfield in the city of Omidiyeh.

Omidiyeh, located in Iran's oil-rich Khuzestan province bordering Iraq, is home to the Aghajari oilfield, which operates under the state-run National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC).

The strategic oilfield was discovered in 1938 and production started two years later. It is known to have proven reserves of around 30 million barrels of oil with daily production estimated to be around 300,000 barrels.

The newspaper did not provide any further details about the identity of the German national and the circumstances under which he was held.

It, however, noted that some foreign nationals, including Germans, have been arrested in recent months amid protests.

Iran has been rocked by sweeping protests since the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, in mid-September while in police custody, with many Western countries condemning what they call "repression" of anti-government protests.

Iran, however, has accused the Western countries, including Germany, of instigating "rioters" and stoking instability in the country.

Earlier this month, Iran's judiciary sentenced a Belgian national to 40 years in prison apart from 74 lashes on four charges, including espionage and financial crimes.

Last week, a dual Iranian-Britain national and former deputy defense minister, Alireza Akbari, was executed on charges of spying for Britain's MI6 intelligence agency.