Iranian security forces launched a sweeping operation, arresting several prominent reformist politicians and activists. The move is widely seen as an attempt to stifle domestic dissent following the “Bloody January” protests that left thousands dead. Among those detained are Azar Mansouri, the head of the Reform Front coalition, and Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, the coalition’s political committee chief. Former deputy foreign minister Mohsen Aminzadeh and Reform Front spokesperson Javad Emam were also taken into custody during late-night raids.
Iranian authorities arrested four people accused of trying to “disrupt the country’s political and social order” and acting “for the benefit” of Israel and the US during January’s antigovernment protests https://t.co/NSpo4lsK3V pic.twitter.com/fkJeDmj3lb
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 9, 2026
The Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency accused the group of acting as an “organized network” working for the benefit of the United States and Israel. Authorities claim the detainees attempted to “inflame the social order” at a time when Iran faces heightened military threats from abroad. Specifically, the group is accused of “whitewashing” the actions of protesters, whom the state has labeled “terrorists.”
The crackdown comes just as President Masoud Pezeshkian attempts to navigate delicate nuclear negotiations in Oman. While the president has set up an inquiry into the protest violence, analysts suggest these arrests, carried out by the IRGC, underscore his lack of authority over the country’s core security apparatus.
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