Two Arabs killed, nine others arrested by Iranian forces during the 40-day war
Hengaw – Saturday, June 20, 2026
During the 40-day war and following a raid by Iranian government forces on the Qaleh Chanan district of Ahvaz in March 2026, at least nine Arabs were arrested and two others, identified as Mahmoud Hosseinian Naseri and Heydar Khayyatipour, were shot dead. Security cases have since been opened against the detainees, who face charges including espionage for Israel.
According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Iranian government forces raided the Qaleh Chanan district of Ahvaz on Monday, March 9, 2026.
During the raid, at least two men, Mahmoud Hosseinian Naseri and Heydar Khayyatipour, were shot dead by government forces.
The operation also resulted in the arrest of at least nine other individuals. The detainees were subsequently transferred to a detention facility operated by the Intelligence Department.
The bodies of Mahmoud Hosseinian Naseri and Heydar Khayyatipour have not yet been returned to their families.
The identities of the detainees have been confirmed as: Taregh Hosseinian, Bahador Zargani, 39, Mansour Naseri, 40, Ahmad Bavifard, Yousef Hosseinian, Amin Naseri, Jassem Bavi, Mohammad Ali Bavi, and Hamid Hosseinian.
The detainees have been charged by Branch Two of the Karun Revolutionary Court with offenses including “opening fire on security forces,” “blowing up oil pipelines,” “possession of homemade explosives,” “cooperation with the United States and Israel,” and “disrupting public order.”
According to available information, these accusations are based on forced confessions obtained under torture, raising serious concerns about the fate of the detainees and the fairness of the proceedings against them.
In April 2026, Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence announced that five individuals had been killed and ten others arrested. The ministry accused the detainees of “forming anti-state groups,” “sabotaging civilian oil pipeline infrastructure,” “conducting armed attacks,” and possessing “partially assembled explosive devices, weapons, ammunition, foreign currency, Starlink equipment, and propaganda materials.”
Despite the passage of 103 days since their arrests, the detainees continue to be denied fundamental rights, including access to legal counsel and family visits.
