Iran Intensifies Pressure on Jewish Community as Security Forces Summon Members Over Online Activity
Hussain Hazbavi 
The representative of Iran’s Jewish community in parliament, Homayoun Sameh-Yah Najafabadi, confirmed that several Iranian Jews have been summoned by security agencies in recent days for posting what authorities called “inappropriate comments” or for interacting with content linked to Israeli media outlets.
Iranian media on Monday, December 8, published the text of an “open letter” from the MP addressed to the country’s Jewish community. In it, he urged Iranian Jews to leave Israeli-affiliated Persian-language channels to avoid what he described as “potential legal problems.”
Najafabadi specifically warned against interacting with official Israeli military social media accounts, saying that even pressing “like” or engaging with “incorrect content” could lead to “misunderstandings” with Iran’s intelligence agencies.
He advised those who had posted or liked “unusual, sensitive, or misleading” material to delete it immediately.
Part of a Wider Crackdown on Iran’s Jewish Minority
This warning comes as fresh evidence of a broader campaign by Iranian authorities targeting the country’s Jewish community a campaign that has intensified following the 12-day war with Israel earlier this year.
Since that conflict, dozens of Iranian Jews have been arrested on accusations of “collaboration” with Israel. Among those detained is Kamran Hekmati, an Iranian-American dual national.
According to Israel Radio on Sunday, December 7, Iranian-American Jewish organizations in the United States are mounting a major effort to secure his release.
Iran has a long track record of arresting foreign nationals and dual citizens on charges of espionage or national-security offenses. Human rights groups widely view these detentions as politically motivated, aimed at pressuring Western governments.
On December 3, two members of the U.S. Congress urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to use every available channel to secure Hekmati’s release, noting that he is suffering from bladder cancer and requires urgent medical care.
Hekmati’s imprisonment stems from a trip he made 13 years ago to Israel for a family ceremony involving his son an act Iranian authorities used as grounds for prosecution.
