Iran detains President Rouhani's brother in corruption case

Iranian authorities have detained President Hassan Rouhani’s brother, the judiciary spokesman said on Sunday, in a corruption case that the president’s supporters say is politically motivated.

State television quoted spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei as saying Hossein Fereydoun, who is also a close adviser to Rouhani, was summoned for questioning on Saturday in a case in which he faces unspecified financial charges. He was later detained.

“If Fereydoun arranges bail, he will be released,” Mohseni Ejei was quoted as saying. “He has been heard several times, and others have also been questioned, and some of them are being held … and the case continues.”

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US Secretary of State John Kerry [L] speaks with Hossein Fereydoun [C], the brother of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif [R], before the Secretary and Foreign Minister addressed an international press corps gathered at the Austria Center in Vienna, Austria, on July 14, 2015 [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Some Rouhani supporters have interpreted the charges against Fereydoun, a senior diplomat who took part in the talks that led to a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, as a move by the hardline judiciary to discredit the president.

Rouhani was born Hassan Fereydoun before adopting his new surname.