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From the Liveblog of
Friday, November 7, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Friday, November 7, 2025
Jewish Iranian-American sentenced to prison in Tehran for Israel visit
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleIran has sentenced a Jewish dual Iranian-American national to prison for traveling to Israel 13 years ago to celebrate his son’s bar mitzvah, his family tells The New York Times.
Kamran Hekmati, a 70-year-old jeweler who traveled to Iran in May for a brief visit, has been held in Tehran’s infamous Evin prison since July, his family members told NYT.
Hekmati, who immigrated to the US when he was 13, was sentenced to four years in prison in late August, the family says, evidently having waited until now to go public with the story. His sentence was reduced by half in September.
An appeal has been filed on his behalf, but a court date has not yet been set.
His family says he suffers from poor health and is fighting an aggressive bladder cancer.
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