The government of Iran rerouted a commercial airliner flying to Dubai, ordering it to make an emergency landing on an island in the Persian Gulf where they deplaned the wife and child of a prominent retired soccer player who supported the anti-government demonstrations in the country, the New York Times reports.
Ali Daei, who held the world record for most goals scored in international matches before it was broken by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021, says the plane carrying his wife and child left Tehran when it was ordered to make an immediate landing at Kish Island in the Persian Gulf. Once landed, Daei’s family was ordered off the plane and questioned. They were eventually released, but too late to reboard the plane, which departed without them. Daei’s family was not permitted to travel to Dubai, where they had planned to spend a week.
A television network that acts as an outlet for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard broadcast that Daei’s wife’s passport had been revoked a month ago and that she was able to get onto the flight with the help of the American government. The report stated the family was detained because they intended to use Dubai as a stopover to the United States.