UAE arrests and deports Iranian journalist

16 Oct 2019; MEMO: Egyptian journalist Jamal Sultan revealed yesterday that the UAE had arrested an opposition Iranian journalist in Dubai and deported him to Tehran.

On Twitter, Sultan, the chief editor of Al-Mesryoon newspaper, wrote: “The UAE arrested an opposition Iranian journalist during a transit flight from France to Australia through Dubai. It handed him over to the Iranian authorities.”

He added: “He is subject to execution. The Iranian media is speaking happily about a complicated operation through which he was lured and arrested.”

On Sunday, Middle East Eye revealed that Tahnoun Bin Zayed, the national security adviser of the UAE, had visited Tehran on a secret mission aiming to defuse tensions among Gulf states.

Tahnoun’s secret mission was the highest-level meeting between the two sides since the crisis broke out.