Iran’s Islamic judiciary accused Chaab of leading Harakat al-Nidal, or the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz, which Iran says is a terrorist group behind attacks in the south-west of the country.

The oil-rich province has a large Arab minority which has long complained of marginalisation and discrimination, which Tehran denies.

The 2018 attack on a military parade in the city of Ahvaz saw gunmen open fire at Revolutionary Guard troops, killing 25 people including soldiers and civilians watching the parade.

Chaab was reportedly lured to Istanbul to meet a woman before being kidnapped and smuggled into Iran in an operation said to have been orchestrated by a notorious Turkey-based Iranian crime boss.

Iranian officials have not provided details of how Chaab was arrested. Once inside Iran, state TV showed him appearing to admit involvement in the 2018 attack. He was convicted of being “corrupt on earth”, a capital offence.
The NFT is the image of him, sitting front of the photographers.