In Iran, as in Britain, a week is a very long time in politics. Last Friday Ebrahim Yazdi, 78, was queueing in hot sunshine outside the Hosseinieh Ershad mosque in Tehran, chatting to The Times and other news organisations as he waited to vote for a new direction for his country.

Today the veteran revolutionary and former Foreign Minister languishes in the notorious Evin prison just outside the capital — one of scores of politicians, journalists and activists arrested in the past few days for the heinous crime of supporting the opposition. He was snatched from the intensive care unit of a Tehran hospital.

Mr Yazdi was a founder of the Freedom Movement, a group of intellectuals — now banned but tolerated — who opposed the Shah in the 1970s. After the revolution in 1979 he became the first Foreign Minister of the new Islamic Republic. Within a year he had resigned in protest after students stormed the US Embassy and took 52 diplomats hostage.

Last week Mr Yazdi was scathing about President Ahmadinejad’s performance during his first four-year term, particularly in foreign affairs. He said it had been “destructive”, adding: “The by-product of destruction is disaster.” He warned of attempts to rig the election, and predicted violent street protests if that happened. “Our youth can’t tolerate that kind of behaviour,” he said.

Mr Yazdi was right on both counts but was unable to protect himself. At 3pm on Wednesday he was arrested while being treated at Pars hospital.

His son-in-law, Mehdi Noorbaksh, who lives in Pennsylvania, said it was hard to get any information about him because the telephone lines were down.

More arrests

— Mahsa Amrabadi, a journalist, was reportedly arrested at her home which she shares with her husband, another dissident journalist, Masoud Bastani

— Emad Bahavar, a blogger and activist involved with groups such as the Freedom Party and pro-Khatami youth organisation Group 88, is in custody

— Ali Taghipour Mohammad Shokuhi, a member of the reformist Islamic Participation Front, reportedly arrested along with fellow party members including Ali Poukhayeri, Shahin Nourbakhsh and Ashkan Mojaleli

— Mohammad Tavasoli, political director of the Freedom Movement of Iran, arrested on Tuesday

— Ahmed Zeidabadi, political analyst and journalist who has worked for the BBC’s Persian service and anti-Government site Rooz; previously jailed for 13 months in 2003. Human rights group says he is in custody

Sources: Associated Press, Reporters without Borders, Times database

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