German citizen arrested in Iran for photographing oil fields

A German national has reportedly been arrested by Iranian security forces for taking photos at an oil field in the southwestern province of Khuzestan. Anadolu news agency reports.

Jam-e Jam The newspaper, which is affiliated with the state broadcaster, reported on Tuesday that the German national had been arrested while taking photos at the Aghajari oil field in the city of Omidiyeh.

Located in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan bordering Iraq, Omidiyeh is home to the Aghajari oil field, which operates under the state-run National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC).

The strategic oil field was discovered in 1938 and production started two years later. It is known to have proven reserves of about 30 million barrels of oil, with an estimated daily production of about 300,000 barrels.

The newspaper gave no further details about the identity of the German national and the conditions under which he was being held.

However, it noted that some foreigners, including Germans, have been arrested during protests in recent months.

Iran has been rocked by mass protests since the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, in police custody in mid-September, with many Western countries condemning what they call “suppression” of anti-government protests.

However, Iran has accused Western countries, including Germany, of inciting “rioters” and fueling instability in the country.

Earlier this month, the Iranian judiciary sentenced a Belgian to 40 years in prison, apart from 74 lashes, on four charges, including espionage and financial crimes.

Last week, an Iranian-British national and former deputy defense minister, Alireza Akbari, was executed on charges of spying for Britain’s MI6 intelligence agency.

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