Iranian Psychologist Jailed After Appealing to Trump for Help

Clear Facts

• 32-year-old Iranian psychologist Seyed Ahmad Seyedabdollahi was sentenced to seven months in prison for posting a video appealing to President Trump to support Iranian protesters
• Iranian authorities allegedly demanded he record a video sexually insulting Trump and making Americans “look stupid” — he refused
• Over 50,000 Iranians were arrested during the January protests, with at least 56 executed on national security charges since March

An Iranian psychologist who publicly asked President Donald Trump to stand by Iranians protesting the Islamic Republic has been sentenced to seven months in prison. His family says authorities tried to force him to record a video insulting Trump and Americans.

Seyed Ahmad Seyedabdollahi, a 32-year-old psychologist and counselor from Borujen who had been living in Tehran, posted an English-language video on January 4 directly addressing Trump. In the video, he urged the president to act quickly on his pledge to support Iranian protesters, saying young Iranians had trusted his words and that those who helped the Iranian people would be remembered.

“To prove your good intentions to the Iranian people, either do something without saying anything or act very quickly on your words, because many young people trust what you say. And, as you probably know, many things are useless to people who are dead. I assure you that the Iranian nation remembers good deeds well, and they will try to repay their friends in the future.”

Ten days later, on January 14, Seyedabdollahi was arrested at his father’s home in Borujen. Plainclothes agents confiscated phones and electronic equipment, and Seyedabdollahi was subsequently held in solitary confinement and at an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence detention facility in Isfahan.

A relative of Seyedabdollahi said the video triggered sustained pressure from Iranian security authorities. “Since that day, he has faced serious pressure from Iranian security authorities,” the relative said. “He was arrested twice and subjected to repeated interrogations.”

“During his detention, he spent extended periods in solitary confinement. He was eventually convicted and sentenced to seven months in prison, and in July 2026 he was transferred to prison to begin serving his sentence.”

Branch One of the Borujen Revolutionary Court convicted Seyedabdollahi of “engaging in media activities against national security,” sentenced him to seven months in prison and barred him from government and public services for five years. He was detained again July 7 to begin serving the sentence and remains in Borujen Prison.

He was denied contact with his family for 17 days following his first arrest, and his family initially did not know where he was being held. He was denied access to a lawyer of his choosing during his detention and at times was prevented from communicating with his family.

Iranian authorities have also opened a second case against Seyedabdollahi on a charge of “propaganda against the establishment.” The case, opened in June, remains at the preliminary investigative stage.

Court documents appear to detail the authorities’ investigation of Seyedabdollahi and contain references to alleged foreign contacts and financial transactions involving the United States and Israel. His relative said interrogators accused him of being connected to the CIA and Mossad and of receiving money in exchange for making the video.

“They told him you are a member of the CIA and Mossad and you took money from them for this job.”

The relative also alleged that Iranian authorities pressured Seyedabdollahi to record another video repudiating his original message and attacking Trump and Americans. “He did not give in to numerous pressures to publish a clip that contradicted the first video,” the relative said.

“He was asked to sexually insult Trump and make the American people look stupid and ignorant so that we could broadcast your clip on the national media.”

The relative further alleged that Seyedabdollahi endured solitary confinement and mistreatment during interrogations, and said he continues to face pressure in prison after refusing authorities’ demands. “His situation in Borujen Prison is not good because he has been out of solitary confinement for a few days, but sometimes they take him to solitary confinement under various pretexts,” the relative said, adding that monitored telephone calls make it difficult for him to speak openly about his treatment.

The relative said the five-year prohibition on public and government employment has compounded the punishment by threatening Seyedabdollahi’s ability to work after his release. “You understand the economic conditions of Iran,” the relative said. “Now imagine that in this situation someone has been deprived of their social rights, i.e. job and income, and he is imprisoned.”

The relative described Seyedabdollahi as a psychologist and popular speaker with a following among young Iranians. In the brief period when he was free, the relative recalled him saying, “Don’t feel weak. Our problems are insignificant compared to the thousands of people who have lost their lives.”

Seyedabdollahi was one of several Iranians who directly appealed to Trump during January’s nationwide protests. He posted his video January 4, two days after Trump warned Iranian authorities against firing on peaceful demonstrators. Trump again warned Tehran on January 9 and on January 13 urged Iranians to continue protesting, writing that “help is on its way.”

The crackdown resulted in mass arrests. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said more than 50,000 people were arrested during a period of just over six weeks. U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said at least 56 people had been executed on national-security-related charges since March 19, including 27 in cases linked to the January protests.

The Iranian mission to the U.N. declined to comment.

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