Two Iranian Athletes Arrested Amid Ongoing Crackdown

Iranian security forces arrested Farhad Amiri, a rock climber from Isfahan, and Mohammad Sabzipour, a taekwondo coach and former basketball player also from Isfahan, on January 3, 2026.

This is not the first time that athletes, particularly mountaineers and rock climbers from Isfahan Province, have been targeted during protests in Iran. 

During the nationwide protests of 2022, more than ten athletes - most of them male and female mountaineers and rock climbers from Isfahan - were arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organization.

Journalist Maryam Shokrani confirmed Farhad Amiri’s arrest in a post on X, formerly Twitter, stating that no information is currently available about his condition or the authority responsible for his detention. 

Amiri, originally from Isfahan and a well-known athlete in the city, had moved to Tehran in recent years. Reports indicate that he was arrested in front of his shop in Tehran.