Iran Foreign Minister Briefly Arrested in Cyprus

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was arrested and handcuffed Wednesday afternoon after he arrived at Nicosia International Airport. A Cypriot special police unit made the arrest for Salehi’s violation of a EU ban on travels by Iranian officials involved in the country’s nuclear program. But the Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozaku Markulli intervened and Mr. Salehi was later released. 

Mr. Salehi was a former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran when he was added to the list of “unwanted persons,” but his name was taken out in 2010 when he became Iran’s foreign minister. Cyprus has issued an official apology to Iran, citing “misunderstanding” and “mishandling” of the situation by airport police.