U.S. State Department possesses no information on spy arrest in IranJanuary 8, 2011 - 11:45 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. administration possesses no official information on detainment of an American citizen in Iran on the charges of spying. “We have no information to corroborate this alleged incident. In addition to checking our own records, we have contacted Armenian authorities, and through our Swiss protecting power, the Iranian Government concerning these reports,” State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told a daily press briefing. “Neither Iran nor Armenia reports having any record of a U.S. citizen crossing or attempting to cross the Iran-Armenia border as indicated in media accounts,” he said. Commenting on media reports about the illegal crossing of the Armenian-Iranian border by U.S. citizen Hal Talaian, spokesperson for the RA National Security Service (NSS) Artsvin Baghramyan said that a person under such name has neither entered, nor, consequently, left Armenia. According to media reports, Iranian authorities have arrested a 55-year-old American woman - reportedly with a microphone hidden in her teeth. The state-owned newspaper IRAN said the woman, identified in Farsi as Hal Talaian, had "spying equipment or a microphone" concealed in her teeth when customs authorities detained her in the border town of Nordouz, 370 miles northwest of the capital, Tehran. The report said she arrived in Iran from neighboring Armenia without a visa. The paper did not say when she was detained. But Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency quoted an unnamed official as saying the woman was taken into custody "about one week ago." Fars also said she told Iranian border guards that her life would be in danger if they sent her back to Armenia. Meanwhile Iranian state television said that authorities did not arrest an American woman who tried to enter the country from Armenia, casting doubt on earlier media reports. The state-run Arabic-language Al Alam TV quoted an informed source denying reports of her arrest and saying the woman was turned around at the border crossing because she did not have a visa. The report did not identify the source. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |