Iranian authorities have arrested at least four prominent figures linked to the country’s reformist camp, deepening a sweeping security crackdown that has
followed weeks of unrest, according to local media and party officials.
The Islamic Iran Nation’s Union Party on Monday called for the immediate release of its secretary-general, Azar Mansouri, after she was detained along with other members of the Reform Front — a coalition representing reformist and moderate political groups. The reformist daily *Shargh* first reported the arrests.
State media said on Sunday that three senior Reform Front figures had been taken into custody: Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, Mohsen Aminzadeh, and Mansouri, who serves as head of the alliance. *Shargh* later reported that at least two additional members were summoned to the prosecutor’s office at Tehran’s Evin prison, a facility known for holding political detainees.
Javad Emam, the Reform Front’s spokesperson, was also arrested, according to Mansouri’s lawyer, Hojjat Kermani. He said the charges against those detained remain unclear.
“We basically don’t know what caused these arrests, because the Reform Front has not yet issued a statement about the recent events,” Kermani told the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA). “Any comments that were made were personal views.”
The arrests come as Iran intensifies a campaign of detentions and intimidation following last month’s deadly crackdown on protests — the bloodiest unrest the country has seen since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Thousands have reportedly been arrested as authorities seek to prevent further demonstrations.
On Sunday, the judiciary’s media outlet, Mizan, said that “four important political elements supporting the Zionist regime and the United States” had been indicted, without naming individuals or providing evidence. Iranian officials have repeatedly blamed protest-related violence on what they describe as “rioters and armed terrorists” backed by foreign adversaries, including Israel and the United States.
The Reform Front has previously issued sharply critical statements about the direction of the country. Following a recent 12-day conflict with Israel, members warned that Iran faced “incremental collapse” unless it pursued fundamental political and economic reforms.
Kermani said the latest arrests were not connected to a judicial case reportedly opened against the Reform Front after that statement.
For now, the detentions add to growing concerns among reformists and human rights advocates that space for political dissent in Iran is narrowing further as tensions at home and abroad continue to rise. Photo by ninara, Wikimedia commons.