A member of a U.S. scientific delegation headed by the President of the Institute of Medicine was interrogated for 9 hours earlier this month in his Tehran hotel. The U.S. National Academies labeled the incident a “serious breach,” and declared on Friday that they “cannot sponsor or encourage American scientists to visit Iran unless there are clear assurances that the personal safety of visiting scientists will be guaranteed.”
IOM President Harvey Fineberg and the small delegation were visiting Iran to identify opportunities for cooperation in the medical sciences. They were accompanied by Glenn Schweitzer, director of Eurasian programs at the Academies, who has spearheaded an 8-year effort to nurture scientific ties with Iran in the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries. On 4 December, three men who claimed to be security officers detained Schweitzer in his room for 3 hours of questioning. Two days later, they returned for another 6-hour session. The men threatened to prevent Schweitzer from leaving Iran and told him that exchange visitors are not welcome. None of the other members of the delegation were questioned, and the men, who did not identify themselves, did not explain why Schweitzer was targeted.
“This really was a big surprise. It’s a risk we did not expect at all,” says William Colglazier, executive officer of the Academies’ National Research Council.
It’s unclear whether the incident is the opening salvo of a concerted effort to derail scientific cooperation with the West. “There are various interest groups who are unhappy about people-to-people relations such as S&T exchanges. As a result, there will always be attempts to jeopardize these exchanges,” says Shapour Etemad of the National Research Institute for Science Policy in Tehran. Others say that the risk of incidents is especially high in the run-up to Iran’s presidential elections in June 2009. “Tension is seen as beneficial by many conservatives in Iran,” says one Iranian scholar. “Conservatives are mostly suspicious and some of them even dead-set against the opening of Iran towards the West.”
Schweitzer, who was traveling on a visa issued expressly for the meeting, says this was his first problem in 10 trips to Iran in the past decade. But it's soured him on future visits. “I hope this is more of a bump in the road rather than a derailment,” he says. “But I won’t go back. I’ll let others pick up the mantle.”
—Richard Stone
Parviz Aaghaa:
You are very correct. I've been fortunate enough to "meet" many Iranians via the Internet, due to a medical condition that has brought us together. A year ago, I didn't even know what language was spoken there. Now, I plan to visit once I have time and money -- hopefully soon.
I've promised several people that I'll stay at least a day with them when I go. (Their offers were not just taarof, either.) Finding a hotel isn't a problem; getting a long enough visa to visit everyone will be the trouble.
Movafagh bashin! Arezoo ye behtarinha!
I don't think it is smart or prudent to go to a place where you are not welcomed: note that when we go there, the Iranians call us "infidels".... also note however when the Iranians come here (and they do) they are called "free".....
I wish this article did mention how the actual people in Iran are extremely friendly and pro-wester and pro-american beyond belief. This is the loathful government of Iran that represents less than 1% of the people who acts like this and embarasses the whole country for the last 30 years.
Once day, the Iranian shall be free again and will show its true friendly face to the world.