The June arrest and detainment of two Iranian physicians—brothers and HIV/AIDS specialists Arash Alaei and Kamyar Alaei—by Iranian authorities has been a major setback in fighting the virus in the Middle-Eastern country, the Boston Globe reports.  

In addition to helping establish a series of HIV/AIDS clinics and a comprehensive, national HIV strategy for the country, the brothers also participated in a U.S.-funded exchange program that would increase medical cooperation between the United States and Iran, which launched in 2006.

According to the article, the Iranian government has accused the doctors of using their HIV/AIDS work to destabilize its government. It is unclear whether participation in the exchange program influenced the regime’s decision to arrest the doctors. U.S. State Department officials told the Globe that they do not plan to halt the exchange program.