Iranian-American businessman arrested and imprisoned in Tehran


An Iranian-American businessman based in Dubai was arrested earlier this month in Iran, making him the fourth American holding dual citizenship to be held in Tehran.
People briefed on the situation told The Wall Street Journal that two weeks ago, Siamak Namazi, the head of strategic planning at Crescent Petroleum Co., was arrested while visiting relatives in Tehran. The arrest was made by the Revolutionary Guard's intelligence service, which reports to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, not the Iranian government. Several businessmen interviewed from both inside and outside Iran told the Journal that in recent weeks, Iranian businessmen with ties to foreign companies have been detained, interrogated, and warned against getting involved in economic monopolies held by the Revolutionary Guard. Hardliners within the Iranian judiciary and intelligence services are also reportedly hoping to threaten the Iran nuclear deal by creating points of tension with the U.S.; they are against engaging with the West because they want to keep foreign influence out of the country.
Friends of Namazi's told the Journal that intelligence agents ransacked the home he was staying in, took his computer, and have launched cyberattacks against some of his email contacts. Namazi comes from a prominent Iranian family, and moved to the U.S. in 1983 when his father started working at the United Nations, The Washington Post reports. After college, he returned to Iran for compulsory military duty, and he wrote that he became a U.S. citizen in 1993 because it is easier to travel on a non-Iranian passport, and it helped him receive scholarships and grants for school. He wrote about Iran frequently, and published an op-ed in The New York Times in 2013, urging the West to relax sanctions so life-saving medicine could get into the country.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The U.S. State Department has been asking Iran, which does not recognize dual citizenship, to release three other Americans: Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, who was recently convicted after an espionage trial; former Marine Amir Hekmati, accused of being a spy after traveling to Iran to visit his grandmother in 2011; and Saeed Abedini, a pastor convicted in 2013 of threatening Iran's national security by participating in home churches. All three deny the allegations.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The state of Britain's Armed Forces
The Explainer Geopolitical unrest and the unreliability of the Trump administration have led to a frantic re-evaluation of the UK's military capabilities
By The Week UK
-
Anti-anxiety drug has a not-too-surprising effect on fish
Under the radar The fish act bolder and riskier
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Crossword: April 21, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US