Iran seizes and jails American businessman in sign of domestic divisions

Iran has arrested another American holding dual citizenship, bringing to four the number of Iranian Americans imprisoned in Tehran after they came under suspicion by hardline security forces.

Siamak Namazi, a businessman based in Dubai who is in his early 40s, was arrested earlier this month when he was visiting a friend in Tehran, according to a family friend who did not want to be identified. It was not clear whether any charges had been brought against him or what authorities might allege he did.

Namazi, the son of a former governor in the oil-rich Iranian province of Khuzestan, comes from a prominent Iranian family. Namazi's family came to the United States in 1983 when he was a boy, and he later returned to Iran after graduating from college to serve in the Iranian military. He has consulted on business opportunities in Iran for more than a decade.

A relative of Namazi’s said the family had tried to keep the arrest private, and the relative declined to comment.

When asked about Namazi, the State Department declined to confirm his arrest.