Iranian authorities rerouted a flight bound for Dubai this week that had the daughter and wife of soccer star Ali Daei aboard. The rerouting would prevent Daei’s wife and daughter from leaving the country as anti-government protests continue.
Iranian state media reported Monday that authorities had rerouted a flight bound for Dubai, preventing Daei’s wife and daughter from leaving the country in what would be a coordinated clampdown on people supporting the ongoing protests. Daei has supported the ongoing demonstrations that erupted in September.
Tehran has also said that the arrests of citizens linked to the United Kingdom were a sign of the UK’s “destructive role” in the unrest, which Iran has sought to blame its foreign adversaries for fomenting.
The Iranian judiciary said that Daei’s wife was banned from travelling overseas when authorities ordered the Mahan plane that Daei’s wife was on to land on Iran’s Kish Island in the Gulf. Daei questioned the order in his comments to the semi-official ISNA news outlet.
“I really don’t know the reason for this. Did they want to arrest a terrorist,?” said Daei, whose jewelry shop was shut down this month after the soccer star voiced support for the protests that have been taking place in September following the death of Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police.
The allegations of Tehran against Iran’s western adversaries, along with its arrests of dual nationals, were part of an official narrative to shift the blame away from the Islamic Republic. Around 15,800 people have been arrested in the demonstrations, according to the rights group HRANA.
Also on Monday, SpaceX chief Elon Musk said his firm is close to having 100 active Starlink internet service satellites in Iran, three months since saying that the service would be activated in light of the ongoing protests.
Musk said back in September that Starlink would be activated in Iran as part of the US-backed effort “to advance internet freedom and the free flow of information” to Iranians. Starlink could help Iranians get around the Islamic Republic’s restrictions on internet access and certain social media platforms.


Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party Wins Thai Election, Signals Shift Toward Political Stability
Trump Allows Commercial Fishing in Protected New England Waters
Netanyahu to Meet Trump in Washington as Iran Nuclear Talks Intensify
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Secures Historic Election Win, Shaking Markets and Regional Politics
China Warns US Arms Sales to Taiwan Could Disrupt Trump’s Planned Visit
U.S.-India Trade Framework Signals Major Shift in Tariffs, Energy, and Supply Chains
Trump Says “Very Good Talks” Underway on Russia-Ukraine War as Peace Efforts Continue
Bosnian Serb Presidential Rerun Confirms Victory for Dodik Ally Amid Allegations of Irregularities
Trump Slams Super Bowl Halftime Show Featuring Bad Bunny
U.S. Lawmakers to Review Unredacted Jeffrey Epstein DOJ Files Starting Monday
Ohio Man Indicted for Alleged Threat Against Vice President JD Vance, Faces Additional Federal Charges
Nicaragua Ends Visa-Free Entry for Cubans, Disrupting Key Migration Route to the U.S.
Ghislaine Maxwell to Invoke Fifth Amendment at House Oversight Committee Deposition
Antonio José Seguro Poised for Landslide Win in Portugal Presidential Runoff
India–U.S. Interim Trade Pact Cuts Auto Tariffs but Leaves Tesla Out
Japan Election 2026: Sanae Takaichi Poised for Landslide Win Despite Record Snowfall
Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran 



