Iranian citizen Seyedmasoud Taheri was stopped at passport control at Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport on 8 May while attempting to board a flight to Barcelona with his wife, where Armenian border guards informed him that his passport had been invalidated by the Iranian government. Taheri has linked the revocation to his participation in anti-government protests in Yerevan earlier this year.
Unlike Taheri, his wife did not face the same issue.
Taheri told OC Media he only learned about the alleged revocation at the airport.
‘They told me that my passport was no longer valid. The airport border police sent an email inquiry to the embassy, and after three hours of preventing me from boarding the flight, they informed me that they had received a response from the embassy stating that the Iranian government had revoked my passport’, Taheri said.
According to Taheri, Armenian authorities did not provide any official documentation confirming the decision and instead advised him to contact the Iranian Embassy. He also said border guards refused to speak with his lawyer and confiscated his passport to transfer it to the embassy.
Taheri, who said he holds only Iranian citizenship, is now left without valid identification. On his lawyer’s advice, he plans to first file a complaint against the border police to obtain formal confirmation of the incident before approaching the embassy.
‘However, under no circumstances can I personally go to the embassy, because of my political activities and concerns for my safety’, Taheri said.
A friend who visited the embassy on his behalf relayed conditions allegedly set by Iranian authorities.
‘The embassy told [my friend] that I must stop my political activities and give a written commitment that I will not engage in any political activity in the future. They also said that I must come to the embassy and ask for forgiveness so that they may resolve my passport problem’, Taheri told OC Media.
OC Media contacted the Iranian Embassy for comment. It declined to confirm or deny the case, instead suggesting a written inquiry. A response has not yet been received. OC Media also contacted the Armenian National Security Service, which oversees border control.
OC Media has seen a copy of Taheri’s passport, which was valid until 2029. He has lived in Armenia for seven years, holds a residence permit, and owns a fish farming business.
Taheri links the incident to his anti-government stance and participation in anti-government protests near the Iranian Embassy in Yerevan in January, as widespread protests escalated in Iran since December 2025. He said that he had previously received threats from Iranian authorities, including warnings that his passport could be revoked.
In Armenia, demonstrations were initially permitted, but gradually, restrictions tightened after Iranian Ambassador Khalil Shirgholami’s harsh public criticism.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
Taheri was among those arrested for ‘failing to comply with police orders’ in January, and following their memorial ceremony in support of the US for the five soldiers who were killed, ‘the pressure from the Islamic Republic increased significantly against each of us’.
‘They threatened us by saying that legal cases had been opened against us in Iran, that our properties were being confiscated, and that our citizenship and identification documents would be canceled’, Taheri said.
According to him, the Iranian authorities also passed them a message that ‘Armenia is our territory’ and ‘we should not think that their power is limited in Armenia’.
He described the move as part of broader pressure on activists abroad, and Iranian authorities’ attempt ‘to silence our voices through intimidation’.
Taheri argued that revoking his passport without a court decision violates ‘basic human and international rights’. He also suggested other Iranian protesters could face similar measures, but may be unaware until attempting to travel, suggesting that it's the only way for them to find it out.
Before leaving Iran, Taheri was detained ‘because of my conversion to Christianity’ and was later ‘forced to leave’ because of the pressures.
As of 2022, there are over 2,000 Iranian nationals living in Armenia.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
