Iranians living abroad could have property confiscated and face other legal penalties if they express support for the United States and Israel, the Iranian prosecutor general’s office said on Monday.
Some members of the Iranian diaspora who want political change in Tehran took to the streets of European and American cities to celebrate the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the US-Israeli war against Iran. Iran on Monday named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father.
“A warning has been issued to those Iranians living abroad who in different ways sympathise, support or cooperate with the American-Zionist (Israeli) enemy,” the prosecutor general’s office was quoted as saying by state media.
“They will be met with the confiscation of all their properties and other legal penalties in accordance with the law.”
Meyam Aghakhani, a member of the diaspora who works at a shop in London, was not concerned by the threat.
“I don’t really think any Iranian outside, in the diaspora, is really and truly worried about themselves and their properties and equity and belongings when people inside Iran, they go out, barehanded, without anything, they will stand in front of live ammunition, and they actually get killed,” he told Reuters. “So my war and my fight continues without any hesitation.”
Newly established channels on Telegram have shared details of prominent Iranians living abroad who have posted comments critical of Iran’s clerical authorities and supportive of the US-Israeli military campaign that began on February 28.
Up to 5 million Iranians live abroad, the majority of them in the United States and Western Europe, according to Iranian government data. Iranian media put their numbers closer to 10 million.
“We don’t have any choice. Iranian people (for) more than 40 years (have tried) to find another rule (another government). Two and half months ago, a lot of Iranian people (were) killed by (the) government,” said Naser Kayvani, who owns a dry cleaning business in London.
