the past 2 1/2 years for allegedly passing money to an Iranian rebel group, has returned to the United States, but the charges against him still stand.
The 71-year-old retired businessman told reporters after landing in Los Angeles last week, “My name is Reza Taqavi, I’ve been in Iran in jail for 29 months. Now I’m glad that I’m back to the United States in my home now.”
His return is not filled with pure relief yet as it is unclear whether he will be able to return to Iran. According to former US diplomat Pierre Prosper, who is Taqavi’s lawyer, the Islamic Republic has not officially dismissed the charges against him. Although Taqavi was permitted to return to the US, Iranian officials still accuse him of passing $200 to the monarchist group, Tondar, which is suspected of a 2008 bombing in Shiraz.
Taqavi says he will sue the California acquaintance who asked him to take the cash to a man in Iran who tuned out to be a Tondar member.
Before his departure from Tehran, Taqavi told The Associated Press the suit is the result of pressure from Iranian authorities, adding, “They told me, ‘Let’s see what you are going to do to show that you are innocent. If you go after them, it means you are innocent. Go after them and file a suit against them.… Let us see to prove it.’”