Iran arrests leading reformists close to president amid crackdown on protest critics
Arrests target senior figures in the reformist front following criticism of authorities’ handling of recent demonstration
Iranian authorities have arrested several senior reformist figures close to President Masoud Pezeshkian in a move likely to heighten tensions over the handling of recent protests, according to multiple reports. The arrests follow criticism from reformists of the government’s response to widespread demonstrations across the country.
Azar Mansouri, secretary general of the Islamic Iran People Party, was detained after expressing sorrow over protesters’ deaths and denouncing the violence. She had not publicly called for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to resign. Mansouri stated last week, “We will not allow the blood of these dear ones to be consigned to oblivion or the truth to be lost in the dust,” condemning the authorities’ actions.
Other prominent reformists targeted include Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, head of the Reformists Front’s political committee, and Mohsen Aminzadeh, a former deputy foreign minister under former President Mohammad Khatami. At least two additional leaders from the umbrella group of 27 reformist factions have been ordered to report to police stations.
Iranian prosecutors accused those arrested of “targeting national unity, taking a stance against the constitution, promoting surrender, perverting political groups, and creating secret subversive mechanisms.” Judiciary head Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei added that critics within Iran were acting in agreement with “the Zionist regime and America” and warned they would “suffer losses.”
The arrests appear aimed at preventing the spread of criticism over the handling of the protests, which followed reports of thousands killed. The official government death toll stands at 3,000, though independent estimates suggest the figure could be significantly higher.
These detentions come amid a wider crackdown on human rights defenders, including the arrest of four activists who had called for a “free, transparent referendum” to establish a new democratic government in Iran. Among them were Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi and other prominent reformist advisers.
Human rights groups have condemned the crackdown as part of a broader effort by Tehran to silence dissent and suppress accountability for the violent response to nationwide demonstrations, highlighting ongoing concerns over political freedoms in Iran.