An Iranian man wearing a mask walks under a mural depicting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
 

Dr. Sirous Asgari, an Iranian scientist who was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is not freed despite being exonerated in a US sanctions trial contracted COVID19 in US custody, UK media reported.

"An Iranian scientist who has been pleading not guilty for weeks to be released from a US immigration jail due to his fragile health has contracted Covid-19", his family and attorneys were quoted by 'The Guardian' as saying.

"Asgari's story sparked international outrage after he spoke about his fears of Covid-19 spreading inside crowded Ice facilities with substandard cleaning practices and a lack of supplies," the media added.

"The professor, who has a history of respiratory problems, was exonerated in a US sanctions trial last year, but ICE has refused to release him."

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a message on his Twitter account accused the United States of taking several Iranian scientists hostage at the time of COVID-19 disease and refusing to grant them medical leave even during the coronavirus outbreak.

"Even when its OWN courts reject the absurd charges the US even refuses medical furlough—amid #covid19—for innocent men jailed in horrific facilities. Release our men," he added.