HRANA – Afarin Mohajer, an Iranian-American dual national residing in Los Angeles, has been in detention for 51 days and continues to be held in legal limbo in the women’s ward of Evin Prison.
According to HRANA, Ms. Mohajer, who had traveled to Iran for a visit, was arrested on Monday, September 29, 2025, at Imam Khomeini International Airport. No reliable information has yet been made available regarding the charges brought against her.
HRANA published an initial report on her arrest eight days ago, but it has now been confirmed that she also holds United States citizenship.
The arrest of dual nationals in Iran has been widely criticized by human rights organizations and Western governments over the past four decades. Critics argue that the Islamic Republic uses such detentions as tools of political pressure or bargaining leverage. This pattern began in 1979 with the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, and continued in the following decades with the arrests of dual-national tourists, researchers, journalists, and activists.
In recent years, several similar cases have occurred. For example, Reza Valizadeh, an Iranian-American and former Radio Farda journalist, was arrested during a trip to Iran and sentenced to 10 years in prison, two years of exile, and social restrictions on charges of cooperation with the U.S. government. Additionally, Jamshid Sharmahd, an Iranian-German political activist residing in the United States, reportedly died in custody before his execution in October 2024.
Amid the rise in such cases, the European Union and several Western governments, including France and Germany, have issued warnings about the risk of their citizens being arrested in Iran and have advised them either to avoid traveling to Iran or to leave the country as soon as possible.
