Western people being arrested in Iran
 

A motorcycle traveller has been arrested in Iran:

https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-german-.../32006225.html

I'm starting to reconsider my trip. Seem like he was just a motorcyclist like me who wanted to see the country.

Seems like a Swedish guy was also arrested not long ago: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle...al-2022-05-06/

There are a lot of countries that have laws like that. Try to find out before getting over the border. My brother was almost arrested for taking pictures of an oil refinery in Louisiana right after 9-11.

I sent a message to my country's foreign ministry to see what they have to say. Seems like a lot of Europeans are being arrested so Iran can exchange them for Iranian terrorist.

Five french people detained in Iran

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2179011/world

The situation has become a lot more unstable with the nation wide protest...

The country is also in shaky form politically because apparently they've been moving forward with nuclear refining which could mean sanctions incoming (along with the associated backlash)

There is a big push to develop non Russian sources of oil, for some reason, causing the US to reconsider places such as Iran and Venezuela as possibly not the spawn of the devil after all. Neither country is unaware of this and will be pushing for the best deal on the bargain. Further sanctions aren't very likely, IMHO. The unrest in Iran seems entirely based on domestic affairs, not that the authorities will be any less jumpy. If I'd planned to visit there it wouldn't put me off, though some degree of caution in what you say and what you photograph is probably wise.

Well, the US pulled out of the nuclear monitoring / sanctions-dropping agreement, I was more thinking about the potential for Europe to tighten things up and then Europeans to become potential targets. I've not read anything about Iran being opened up for more oil exports by the US myself, have you got a link?

If you google "Iran sanctions" there is talk of both easing and tightening. A lot depends on the global oil situation over this winter, how talks go and what OPEC+ does. Similar google search shows clearly how US attitudes towards oil-rich Venezuela are changing.

Hmm, so as usual everythings more complicated than it would appear ... I personally wouldn't go to Iran on account of being a lesbian, but I used to date an Iranian woman and since then have tried to keep up on the goings on in the country - her and her family were lovely, and they deserve better than the current government!

It's not just arrests that would make riding in the country difficult
 

A month ago I spoke to an Austrian rider whom I met at a gas station in Bulgaria. He had just returned from a tour of the Middle East and Iran. He was allowed to enter Iran and ride but at some point he was pulled over by the military police and interrogated for five hours. The police went through his phone and looked at pictures and other documents, not limited to the time he's been in Iran. Although not arrested I'd consider this a major harassment and a cause for concern, especially given that the rider was from a fairly low key European country.

I did add a traveller to my vlog newsroom who is currently in iran.

Aufaufunddavon_ didnt see any unrests so far. He is well connected to other overlanding travellers who are currently in Iran, no one had unwanted actions in Iran so far. Nobody did see demonstrations. Just the internet is mostly down he did report. He did cross russia before, too at 2022.

We Overlanders are usually not near of such events, who are vititing universities or is joining some riots abroad?

Finger crossed for the german biker who is currently arrested! Aufaufunddavon_ is exactly in the same area, as the biker was catched.

Surfy