Iran has arrested prominent political scientist and commentator Sadegh Zibakalam after he gave a television interview in defiance of a court-imposed ban on media activity, the country's Judiciary Media Centre announced on June 10.

Zibakalam, a professor at the University of Tehran known for his reformist views and public criticism of government policy, was detained in the morning after the interview prompted new criminal charges. His case has been referred to the Press and Culture Prosecutors' Office.

The arrest follows a period of escalating judicial pressure on one of Iran's best-known public intellectuals at a time when authorities have moved aggressively against critical voices.

On June 6, a court had already tightened Zibakalam's existing judicial supervision order after he breached conditions barring him from media appearances and social media activity. He gave the interview regardless, triggering a fresh criminal complaint and his detention days later.

The interview was given to British broadcaster Channel 4 earlier on June 5 with Krishnan Guru-Murthy who was in the country on June 9 in the latest of a two week programme from the country.

In the interview, the academic refused to backdown on criticism of the government, saying the country was in "economic disaster" adding that the "hardliners in the regime" were scared of the people, if the population would come out on the streets again. 

The Judiciary Media Centre said Zibakalam's case "is currently under consideration" at the Press and Culture Prosecutors' Office, without specifying the charges or indicating when he might appear before a judge.

Zibakalam has previously served prison sentences in Iran and has remained one of the country's few academics willing to publicly challenge official positions, including on foreign policy and nuclear negotiations.

Sadegh Zibakalam has a long record of arrests, prosecutions, and prison sentences tied to his criticism of Iran’s authorities. The key episodes include a 1974 arrest under the Shah, a 2014 prison sentence that was later converted to a fine, a 2018 conviction and sentence for remarks to Deutsche Welle, and a 2024 arrest to begin serving a longer set of prison terms.

By early 2025, reports said new charges were filed over social media posts while he was on medical furlough, PEN reported.