Iranian authorities have arrested at least four prominent figures linked to the country’s reformist movement, according to local media, as a broader
security crackdown continues following recent nationwide unrest.
The Islamic Iran Nation’s Union Party has called for the immediate release of its secretary-general, Azar Mansouri, after she was detained alongside other senior members of the Reform Front — a coalition representing reformist and moderate political groups. The Shargh daily reported the arrests on Monday.
State media confirmed on Sunday that three leading Reform Front figures — Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, Mohsen Aminzadeh, and Mansouri, who heads the alliance — were taken into custody. Shargh later reported that at least two additional members had been summoned to the prosecutor’s office at Tehran’s Evin prison, a facility known for holding political detainees.
The Reform Front’s spokesperson, Javad Emam, has also been arrested, according to Mansouri’s lawyer, Hojjat Kermani. He said authorities have not clarified the charges against those detained.
“We essentially don’t know why these arrests were made,” Kermani told the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA). “The Reform Front has not issued any formal statement about the recent protests. Any remarks made were personal opinions.”
Iran’s judiciary-affiliated outlet Mizan reported on Sunday that “four significant political elements supporting the Zionist regime and the United States” had been indicted, though it did not name the individuals or specify the alleged offenses.
The arrests come amid a sweeping campaign of detentions and intimidation following last month’s protests, which marked the deadliest unrest in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Authorities say thousands have been detained as part of efforts to prevent renewed demonstrations.
Iranian officials have blamed protest-related violence on what they describe as “rioters and armed terrorists” allegedly backed by foreign adversaries, particularly Israel and the United States.
In the past, the Reform Front has openly criticized government policies. After a recent 12-day conflict with Israel, the group warned that Iran faced an “incremental collapse” unless fundamental political and economic reforms were implemented.
Kermani said, however, that the current arrests were not connected to a judicial case previously opened against the Reform Front over that statement. Photo by Ninara from Helsinki, Finland, Wikimedia commons.