An Iranian–American woman is being held in incommunicado detention in Tehran after her arrest upon arrival at Imam Khomeini Airport in September, according to Norway-based rights group Hengaw.
The woman, identified as Afarin Mohajer, normally lives in Los Angeles and has been held in the women’s ward of Evin Prison, the group said.
Hengaw said security forces detained Mohajer on September 29 after she landed in Tehran and transferred her directly to Evin Prison, where she has had no access to due process and her legal status remains unclear.
US-based rights group the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) also reported her arrest, adding that there is no information about the charges against her.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has a long record of detaining dual nationals and using them as leverage in foreign policy disputes,” Hengaw said.
“There are growing concerns that Mohajer may become the latest victim of this practice, often described as hostage diplomacy,” the rights group added.
More arrests
In August, The New York Times reported, citing rights groups and lawyers, that Iran is holding at least four Iranian–American citizens, including two individuals arrested after Iran’s June war with Israel.
Hostage Aid Worldwide, a nonprofit that aids families of detainees, was quoted as saying it remains in contact with the detainees’ friends and relatives, and that all four had traveled to Iran from the United States to visit family.
The report cited two Iranian officials as saying that two of the detainees were arrested as part of a crackdown on suspected operatives linked to Israel and the United States.
Over recent years, Iran has repeatedly detained foreign and dual nationals, including US citizens and Iranian–Americans, on broad national-security or espionage charges, a practice rights groups have condemned for its lack of transparency and unclear legal proceedings.
One such case involved Iranian–American businessman Siamak Namazi, who was held in Evin Prison from 2015 until his release in 2023, with his detention cited as part of a larger prisoner-swap deal between Iran and the United States.
Pezeshkian said the pressure on water, land and infrastructure had left the government with “no option” but to act. “When we said we must move the capital, we did not even have enough budget. If we had, maybe it would have been done. The reality is that we no longer have a choice; it is an obligation,” he said in a speech in Qazvin.
He said Tehran now faces “catastrophe” as land in parts of the capital sinks by up to 30 centimeters a year and water supplies shrink. “When we say the land subsides 30 centimeters each day, this means disaster,” he said. He warned that mismanagement, construction in upstream areas and cuts to downstream water flows risk irreversible damage.
Pezeshkian said officials across government must work together or “a dark future” awaits. “Protecting the environment is not a joke,” he said. “Ignoring it means signing our own destruction.”
The president said the mismatch between water resources and demand had reached a breaking point. “We can bring water from the Persian Gulf, but it will be costly,” he said, arguing that Tehran’s population and construction load can no longer expand.
Makran: potential and limits
Iran announced in January that the government was studying plans to move the capital to the southern Makran coast, a remote region overlooking the Gulf of Oman. Officials said the shift could ease Tehran’s overcrowding, energy shortages and water stress.
The idea has surfaced repeatedly since the 1979 revolution but has stalled due to political resistance and soaring costs. Past administrations explored alternatives including Semnan, Qom and Isfahan but financial constraints halted progress.
Officials have said Makran’s coastline offers access to the Indian Ocean and a base for sea-linked economic projects. The area includes Chabahar, Iran’s only oceanic port and a gateway to Central Asia.
But critics say the region is underdeveloped, exposed to security risks and far from ready to host a national capital. Opponents argue the country cannot afford the tens of billions of dollars such a move would require at a time of economic strain, high inflation and renewed UN sanctions.