A son of a former Iranian intelligence chief has been charged with supporting Israel and was banned from using social media for three months, Hassan Younesi announced on his X account, amid a sweeping postwar crackdown by Iranian authorities.
"I have been banned from activity on social media for three months. Turns out that in addition to spreading ‘falsehoods and propaganda against the sacred system,’ I am also accused of ‘strengthening the Zionist regime,’” said Younesi, a former advisor to former president Hassan Rouhani.
His father Ali Younesi was intelligence minister during Mohammad Khatami’s presidency.
In past public remarks, Hassan Younesi had warned of deep infiltration by Israel’s Mossad in Iran, saying officials should be concerned for their personal safety.
Younesi, who is also a lawyer, was briefly detained in November 2022 amid Iran’s nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini over an alleged hijab law violation.
The charge against Younesi comes amid a broader crackdown on dissent and alleged espionage during and after the 12-day war with Israel.
More than 700 people were arrested in the month after the ceasefire, mostly accused of working as agents for Israel in recent days.
The arrests reportedly targeted what authorities described as an “active espionage and sabotage network” that intensified operations following Israel’s June 12 strike, which killed several senior Iranian military and nuclear figures.
