Iran to investigate reporter disappearance

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TEHRAN, May 17 (UPI) -- Iran said Tuesday it is investigating the case of a missing reporter, but did not confirm she was in the country.

Syria said last week it had deported Dorothy Parvaz, who was covering the unrest there for al-Jazeera, to Iran May 1, but her whereabouts are unknown, the Financial Times reported.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said, "Al-Jazeera TV declared that the journalist had intended to visit Syria without receiving visa requirements and only with (an) Iranian visa," the Iranian Students News Agency reported.

"Journalists should respect laws completely in order not to face any problem," he added.

"The Iranian passport of the reporter had expired, she was going to visit Syria without journalist visa and she carried other passports, American and Canadian ones, as well. We do not accept double nationality."

Parvaz's father, Firouz, who lives in Canada, told Radio Farda, the Persian-language service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, he has not heard from her since April 28.

He appealed to "the Iranian authorities [to] treat Dorothy with compassion and let her call us to relieve us from anxiety." He said she was born in Iran, but has visited only once in the past 30 years.