Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on Sunday that US detention of the Iranian professor of Sharif University of Technology, Mojtaba Atarodi, aimed to block Iran's scientific progress, IRNA reported.
According to a report by the ministry's Information and Press Bureau, he added that the act was in line with the assassination of Iranian scientists, indicating the falsehood of the US' claims about the country.
Mehmanparast also noted that after the ministry obtained information about Atarodi's arrest, immediately, it held talks with Iran's Interest Section in Washington as well as Swiss Embassy officials to urge his swift release.
He described the scientist as a distinguished professor of international status who was detained by the US without committing any offence.
Atarodi suffered from heart disease and received heart shock at the time of apprehension, Mehmanparast said.
He voiced concern about his health conditions and urged his freedom at the earliest.