Reuters: Iran has freed two Chinese arrested for spying last month when taking photographs of military nuclear installations, apparently because of a misunderstanding, China’s foreign ministry said on Monday. BEIJING (Reuters) – Iran has freed two Chinese arrested for spying last month when taking photographs of military nuclear installations, apparently because of a misunderstanding, China’s foreign ministry said on Monday.
China is among a group of six world powers considering a possible third round of U.N. sanctions against Iran for its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear work. The other countries are Britain, France, the United States, Russia and Germany.
“In early July, two people from Chinese companies mistakenly took some pictures of some sensitive buildings when they were helping local owners to conduct field measurements in Iran,” China’s Foreign Ministry said.
“They were detained by Iranian police and now they have been freed,” the ministry said on a fax sent to Reuters. “Foreign Ministry and Chinese Embassy in Iran have warned Chinese citizens in Iran to behave so as to prevent misunderstandings.”
Iran insists its nuclear programme has only civilian aims but the West says Tehran has a covert operation to make atomic bombs.
China has taken a more cautious line than Western states in Iran’s nuclear row, urging a negotiated solution and restraint over the use of sanctions.
