Iranian scientist acquitted, deported from US returns home

An Iranian scientist imprisoned in U.S. and acquitted in a federal tre secrets case returned to his homeland on Wednesday morning, a semiofficial Iranian news ncy reported.

report by ISNA news ncy included an im of Sirous Asgari, wearing a face mask and being welcomed by relatives.

A professor at Iran’s Sharif University of Techlogy, Asgari was indicted in April 2016, accused by U.S. federal prosecutors of trying to steal secret research from Case Western Reserve University. Cleveland school h been working on a project for U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research to create and produce anti-corrosive stainless steel.

Asgari was ultimately acquitted in vember after U.S. District Judge James Gwin tossed out case by prosecutors.

Ken Cuccinelli, acting deputy Homeland Security secretary, earlier told Associated Press that DHS h started to try to deport Asgari last December, following his acquittal. However, he said, Iran refused to recognize him as legitimately Iranian and provide him with a valid passport until late February.

His return was n postponed due to coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on international flights. ditionally, Asgari contracted virus but was later reported to have fully recovered.

Iranian officials h associated Asgari’s release with U.S. prisoners held in Iran potentially being freed, something Cuccinelli strongly disputed.

On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamm Jav Zarif first said in an Instagram post that Asgari was on his way back to Iran. ministry spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, rejected speculation of a prisoner swap.