A Mahan Air flight from Tehran to Dubai was diverted mid-flight and forced to land on Kish Island to remove the wife and daughter of famous Iranian former footballer Ali Daei due to support for the anti-government protests sweeping the country. Let's take a closer look at this story below.

Iranian family pulled from Mahan flight

On December 26th, Mahan Air Flight W563 from Tehran (IKA) to Dubai International Airport (DXB) made an abrupt diversion to Kish International Airport (KIH) as it was approaching Dubai over the Persian Gulf. The Airbus A340 was reportedly ordered to land by Iranian authorities to prevent the wife and daughter of Ali Daei, Iran's most famous footballer, from leaving the country.

Ali Daei wrote on social media,

"Today, my wife and daughter legally boarded a plane from Imam Khomeini Airport to go to Dubai, but the plane was returned from Dubai and landed in Kish to drop off my daughter and wife."

Daei, who captained the Iranian national team from 2000 to 2006, added that Iranian authorities could have easily prevented his wife and daughter from boarding the plane. The former footballer had his passport confiscated temporarily after returning to Iran this year following outspoken support for the ongoing anti-regime protests.

Deplaned but not arrested

It appears that Daei's wife, Mona Farrokhazari, and daughter were not formally arrested after being deplaned. Following a period of questioning from authorities, the two were released and were not allowed to board a new flight to Dubai.

Daei added,

"No one has given me an answer. I really don't know what the reason is for such moves. Did they want to arrest a terrorist? My wife and daughter were going to Dubai for a trip and their return flight was on Monday. It's hard to believe! They passed through passport control and boarded the plane quite legally. If there was a problem, why didn't they arrest them? If there is no problem, why did they bring them back?"

The footballing icon and his family have faced other forms of intimidation from Iranian authorities, including his jewelry shop and restaurant in Tehran being forced to shut down.

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Why exactly did this happen?

The incident is related to the wave of protests across Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. Amini was arrested by Iran's morality police for not wearing a hijab before dying in police custody, having suffered severe trauma.

Iranian authorities have claimed that Daei's wife did not inform authorities that she planned to leave the country. State news outlets added that she was banned from leaving Iran after "inviting people to go on nationwide strikes." Tasnim News Agency suggested that her final destination was the United States, not Dubai.

The Islamic Republic News Agency said,

"Daei's wife had pledged to inform the relevant institutions of her decision before leaving the country [following their] association with the groups against the Islamic revolution and rioters and calling for strikes. The flight landed at Kish airport and Ali Daei's wife and daughter got off the plane."

Were you onboard Mahan Air Flight W563 from Tehran to Dubai on December 26th? Let us know any further details in the comments.

Source: RepublicWorld, First Post