Listen to this articleListen to this article | 4 minsinfoIranian authorities have arrested four people on charges of attempting to “disrupt the country’s political and social order” and working “for the benefit” of Israel and the United States during the antigovernment protests of January.The detainees, who were arrested on Sunday, included three prominent reformist politicians, according to Iranian media.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThey are Azar Mansouri, head of Iran’s Reform Front, Mohsen Aminzadeh, a former diplomat, and Ebhrahim Asgharzadeh, a former parliamentarian.The fourth remains unnamed.Iran’s judiciary accused the group of “organising and leading extensive activities aimed at disrupting the political and social situation” at a time when the country faced “military threats” from Israel and the US, according to the official Mizan news agency.The individuals had done their utmost “to justify the actions of the terrorist foot soldiers on the streets”, it said.Iran’s Reform Front confirmed the arrests in a statement on X.It said Mansouri was arrested from the “door of her home under a judicial order” by the intelligence forces of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).It added that the IRGC has also issued summons to other senior members, including its deputy chairman, Mohsen Armin, and its secretary, Badral Sadat Mofidi.The arrests come amid anger in Iran over the deaths of thousands of Iranians during the January unrest. The protests began in the capital, Tehran, over a worsening economic crisis, but escalated into a nationwide antigovernment movement. Advertisement Iranian authorities labelled the protesters as “terrorists” and blamed the “riots” on foreign interference from Israel and the US.The government later said that 3,117 people were killed during the unrest, and rejected claims by the United Nations and international human rights organisations that state forces were behind the killings, most of which occurred on the nights of January 8 and 9.The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it has verified 6,854 deaths and is investig …
