In Iran, the Intelligence Ministry’s barring of 35 senior officials from holding government positions has once again brought dual nationals into the spotlight. The issue was initially raised in the ninth parliament (2012-16) as a tool to pressure President Hassan Rouhani’s administration while Iran was engaged in nuclear negotiations with the six world powers. Since then, it has been pursued under what is called the “infiltration project” by parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission and the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In early October, Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi gave members of the parliamentary commission the names of 79 individuals suspected of being dual nationals or holding US green cards; 35 of them were later barred from holding government positions after investigations proved that they did in fact possess such documents.
