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.


Trump Issues 48-Hour Ultimatum to Iran Over Strait of Hormuz, Threatens Power Grid Strikes
US-Iran War: Trump Eyes Military Exit as Markets React to Potential De-escalation
Iran Threatens Gulf Infrastructure as U.S.-Israel War Enters Critical 48-Hour Window
Trump Presses Japan to Support Iran War Effort, Cites Pearl Harbor in Surprise Defense
Robert Mueller, Former FBI Director and Special Counsel, Dies at 81
Trump Administration Quietly Approves $7 Billion in Unannounced Weapons Sales to UAE
Cuba-U.S. Military Tensions: Havana Warns It Is Ready to Defend Itself Against Potential American Aggression
Trump Signals U.S. Nearing End of Military Goals in Iran War, Shifts Hormuz Responsibility to Regional Nations
Ukraine-U.S. Peace Talks Continue in Florida as Zelenskiy Pushes for Diplomatic Progress
Iran-Israel War Escalates: Long-Range Missiles, Nuclear Site Strikes, and Global Energy Crisis
Trump Signals End of U.S. Military Campaign Against Iran as Markets Rally
S&P 500 Rebounds After Netanyahu's Statements on Iran's Military Setbacks
Federal Judge Blocks Pentagon's Restrictive Press Access Policy
U.S. Officials Express Optimism Over New CDC Director Selection Amid Vaccine Policy Turmoil
Brazil's Haddad Leaves Finance Ministry to Run for São Paulo Governor
Australian PM Albanese Heckled at Sydney Mosque During Eid al-Fitr Prayers 



