Iran environmentalist, symbol of expat return, quits

A top Iranian environment official, who symbolized government efforts to encourage expat Iranians to return home, has quit just seven months into his job, sources tell AFP.

The resignation of Kaveh Madani, who was a young professor at London’s Imperial College before returning to Iran in September 2017, follows reports of mounting conservative pressure against him.

The government of President Hassan Rouhani, which has called on Iranians abroad to come home and help develop the country, appointed the water conservation expert as deputy head of the country’s environment department.

Iranian environmentalist Kaveh Madani gives a Ted Talk in June 2015. (Screen capture/YouTube)

But in recent weeks, conservative outlets published photos purporting to show him drinking and dancing on vacation. Hardliners called him “debauched” and demanded he be sacked.

In February, Madani was briefly detained by one of Iran’s security agencies amid a crackdown on environmentalists that saw several activists arrested on espionage charges.

— AFP