Crackdown after nationwide protests in Iran widens to ensnare reformist figures

Iranian security forces have launched a campaign to arrest figures within the country's reformist movement, reports said Monday. That widens a crackdown on dissent after authorities earlier put down nationwide protests in violence that killed thousands and saw tens of thousands more detained. Detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has received another prison sentence of over seven years. It signals a widening effort to silence anyone opposed to the bloody suppression of unrest by Iran's theocracy as it faces new nuclear talks with the United States. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned he could launch an attack on the country if no deal is reached. Media reports quoted officials within the reformist movement as saying at least four of their members had been arrested. They include Azar Mansouri, the head of the Reformist Front; Mohsen Aminzadeh, former diplomat; and Ebrahim Asgharzadeh. Their arrests likely stem from a reformist statement calling for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to resign. Prosecutors accused those involved of activities aimed at disrupting the political and social situation amid military threats from the United States and Israel. Meanwhile, the U.S. has moved the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the Middle East. Iran has also issued a warning to pilots about rocket launches in Semnan province.