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.
READ: UAE-Iran meetings indicate possible re-assessment of Emirates’ foreign policy