List of Iranian defectors

This is a list of individuals who have defected from Iran .

Name	Occupation	Year	Notes	Ref.
Gholam-Reza Derikvand	Diplomat	2026	Chargé d'affaires of the Iranian embassy in Vienna; requested asylum from Switzerland due to the political unrest during the 2025-2026 Iranian protests	[1]
Alireza Jeyrani Hokmabad	Diplomat	2026	Senior official at Iran’s permanent mission to UN; requested asylum from Switzerland due to the political unrest during the 2025-2026 Iranian protests	[2]
Kimia Alizadeh	Athlete	2020	First woman from Iran to win an Olympic medal (Taekwondo)	[3]
Saeid Mollaei	Athlete	2019	Olympic judoka and 2018 world champion	[4]
Pourya Jalalipour	Athlete	2019	Para-archer who qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan	[5]
Farzad Farhangian	Diplomat	2010	Former press attache at the Iranian embassy in Brussels, Belgium	[6]
Mohammad Reza Heydari	Diplomat	2010		[6]
Hossein Alizadeh	Diplomat	2010		[6]
Shahram Amiri	Nuclear scientist	2009	Returned to Iran in 2010; executed by the Iranian government in 2016 “for revealing top secrets to the enemy”	[7]
Ahmad Rezaee		1998	Eldest son of Iranian conservative politician and senior military officer Mohsen Rezaee; found dead in 2011 at a hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (possible assassination)	[8]
Abdolghassem Mesbahi	Intelligence operative	1996		[9]
Marzieh	Singer	1994		[10]
Mehdi Rezvani	Athlete	1986	Weightlifter competing at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul, South Korea; won the bronze medal at the 242-pound class	[11]
Samad Montazeri	Athlete	1986	Weightlifter competing at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul, South Korea	[11]
Siamak Bajand	Athlete	1986	Weightlifter competing at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul, South Korea	[11]
Ardhir Bahmanyar	Athlete	1986	Weightlifter competing at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul, South Korea	[11]
Ali Akbar Mohammadi	Pilot	1986	Former pilot for the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Akbar Rafsanjani; assassinated in Hamburg, West Germany, in 1987	[12]
Iraj Fazeli	Pilot	1983	Due to his opposition to the Iranian regime, he first flew to Van in Turkey in a Northrop F-5 (the plane returned a week later). He later went to the U.S. before disappearing there in 1989.	[13] [14]
Parviz Khazai	Diplomat	1982	Chargé d'affaires at the Iranian embassy in Oslo, Norway	[15]
Reza Abedi	Athlete	1982	Wrestler	[16]
Ardeshir Asgari	Athlete	1982	Wrestler	[16]
Keyhan Jahanfakhr	Pilot	1982	Iranian airline pilot; applied for political asylum in Austria after piloting his Iran Air Boeing 727 on a flight from Tehran	[17] [18]
Seyyed Jabbar Mehdiyoun	Athlete	1982	Wrestler; defected during the 1982 World Wrestling Championships in Edmonton, Canada	[19]
Mohammad Hossein Naghdi	Diplomat	1982	Charge d'affaires at the Iranian embassy in Rome, Italy; assassinated in Rome in 1993	[20] [21]
Javad Hussain	Military	1981	Iranian Air Force colonel	[22]

References

1. "Another Iran diplomat seeks asylum in Switzerland, sources say". www.iranintl.com. 2026-02-03. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
2. "Iranian diplomat in Geneva seeks asylum in Switzerland, sources say". www.iranintl.com. 2026-01-18. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
3. "The only woman to win an Olympic medal for Iran just defected". The Washington Post. January 12, 2020.
4. "Judo world champion granted Mongolian citizenship after fleeing Iran". NBC Sports. 2 December 2019.
5. "Another Iranian Athlete Refuses To Return Home; Applying For Asylum Iran". Radio Farda. 5 September 2019.
6. "Iranian diplomats' defections signal fissures in Islamic Republic leaders over election unrest". AP. September 14, 2010.
7. "How an Iranian's Spy Saga Ends, 6 Years Later: He's Executed". The New York Times. August 7, 2016.
8. Sciolino, Elaine (2001). Persian Mirrors: The Elusive Face of Iran . Simon & Schuster. pp. 287–288. ISBN   0-7432-1779-9.
9. "Iran Blew Up Jewish Center In Argentina, Defector Says". The New York Times. July 22, 2002.
10. "Marzieh, Iranian Singer and Voice of Dissent, Dies at 86". The New York Times. October 16, 2010.
11. "Iranian Weightlifters Missing, Reported Defected to Iraq". AP. October 3, 1986.
12. "Former Pilot for Iran's Parliament Speaker Slain". AP. January 16, 1987.
13. "Перебежчики "холодной войны"". www.airwar.ru. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
14. "Быстрое изучение английских слов. Мнемотехника". mnemoenglish.ru. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
15. "Iranian Aide Defects in Oslo". The New York Times. Reuters. October 8, 1982.
16. "Reza Abedi's Greatest Escape". OC Weekly. May 12, 2011.
17. "Iran Pilot Defects in Vienna". The New York Times. Reuters. October 18, 1982.
18. Iranian Air Pilot Defects. Associated Press. The Victoria Advocate 18 October 1982: 7A.
19. "An Iranian wrestler who defected during the World Wrestling..." UPI. August 18, 1982.
20. "Iranian official quits over Khomeini rule". UPI. April 19, 1982.
21. "Iranian Is Killed in Rome By 2 Gunmen on a Scooter". The New York Times. March 17, 1993.
22. "Turkey Weighs Asylum For Iran Air Force Defector". The New York Times. March 18, 1981.