Iran has arrested four reformist politicians accused of working with the US and Israel during nationwide anti-government protests last month, state media reported.
They include Azar Mansouri, head of the Reformists Front alliance; Mohsen Aminzadeh, secretary general of the Unity Party; and Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, a former parliamentarian. Javad Emam, spokesman for the Reformists Front, was also taken from his home by security forces.
Iran’s judiciary said "four important political elements working for the benefit of the Zionist regime and the United States" were indicted, in a statement released through its Mizan news agency. They are accused of "destroying national cohesion" at a time when the country was facing “military threats” from Israel and the US.
Iran witnessed widespread protests across all of its 31 provinces last month. The demonstrations ranged from calls for economic reforms to chants for regime change. The protests, now largely quelled, were the largest wave of unrest in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
In a televised statement on Monday, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Iranians to turn out for a march marking the 47th anniversary of the revolution on Wednesday.
"The presence of the people in the march and their expression of loyalty to the Islamic Republic will cause the enemy to stop coveting Iran," Mr Khamenei said.
Iranian authorities have arrested at least 51,591 people in connection with the protests, US-based group Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) says. The rights group, which relies on a network of activists inside and outside Iran for data, said the inclusion of "well-known political figures now signals a clearer expansion of the crackdown into the political arena".
At least 6,961 have been confirmed killed during the protests, with an additional 11,730 cases still under review, said Hrana.
Tehran has blamed the deaths on foreign-backed "rioters and armed terrorists", accusing the US and Israel of inciting chaos and violence in the country.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has admitted his department deliberately triggered a dollar shortage in Iran, fuelling a collapse of the Iranian rial and the soaring inflation that sparked the initial protests.
US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of the protesters. As the US moved an aircraft carrier and other military assets into the region, Mr Trump demanded Iran make a deal to halt its nuclear programme, or face attacks. Tehran vowed to retaliate if attacked, raising fears of a wider regional war.
However, Washington and Tehran resumed negotiations on a nuclear deal with a round of talks in Oman on Friday, which both sides described as "positive".
