‘Arresting Iranian academic on false charges an anti-scientific move’

TEHRAN, Jan. 29 (MNA) – The employer of an Iranian academic, who was arrested in the U.S. for an alleged violation of export laws, has released a statement labeling the move as “anti-scientific”. The statement, issued on Saturday by Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology, said that Seyyed Mojtaba Atarodi, a specialist in semiconductor technologies, travelled to the U.S. on December 7 for heart disease treatment. During his trip he had legally purchased some simple lab equipment. CBS News reported on Friday that Atarodi had allegedly been arrested for violating U.S. export laws. Atarodi is a microchip expert and assistant professor at Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology. Sharif University said that, as a faculty member, Professor Atarodi had authored several scientific papers and books on non-military subjects in Farsi and English. The statement added that it was shameful for a country that claimed to be an advocate of scientific progress to take such a “hideous” and “childish” action. Atarodi has been released on a bail of $460,000 and will be placed under observation at his brother’s house in California until the court hands down a final ruling on the case in four months.