Mohsen Namjoo returns to Iran after years in exile

Iranian singer Mohsen Namjoo has returned to Tehran after nearly two decades in exile, drawing praise from official media and criticism from a video attributed to his wife.

Namjoo, 50, had been living in the United States and flew into Tehran late last week. His return comes as Iranian authorities encourage artists living abroad to come home, against the backdrop of conflict with the United States.

Prague-based Radio Farda published a video it said was from Namjoo's wife, quoting her as saying she had not known about his decision and that he had effectively been missing for several days.

Namjoo responded in a video published by the ISNA news agency on Sunday. He said he had decided to return “a few months ago” but had kept the move quiet. He said he had come to see his homeland and family, and described receiving “utmost kindness” since arriving.

The official IRNA news agency praised what it called Namjoo's “patriotic positions” in opposing US-Israeli strikes during a war that caused infrastructure damage and civilian casualties.

Namjoo left Iran in 2007. In 2009, he was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison on charges of insulting Islam. Reports at the time said he denied wrongdoing, saying his work had been released online without authorisation.

Culture Minister Abbas Salehi has said Tehran wants to remove obstacles preventing Iranian artists abroad from returning. In June, pop singer Binesh Bolour, known as Gheysar, performed in a Tehran square after returning from about four decades in Los Angeles.

Rights activists accuse Iranian authorities of censorship and of jailing foreign nationals to seek concessions from Western governments. The National Iranian American Council said journalists, students, artists and civil-society figures inside Iran still face restrictions, and that “welcoming statements will not be enough”.

In 2020, anonymous allegations of sexual assault were made against Namjoo. He denied the accusations and was never charged.