Iran's Ministry of Intelligence rearrested environmentalists Houman Jokar and Sepideh Kashani at their home on July 1, according to reports.
The couple's whereabouts remain unknown, and authorities have not provided any reason for their detention.
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Former Evin prison detainee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe condemned the operation, which also led to the arrest of Kashani's sister Sima and the seizure of all electronic devices.
The news was first reported by Hojjat Kermani, Zaghari-Ratcliffe's former defense lawyer.
Kashani and Jokar previously worked for the now-defunct Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, focusing on protecting the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah.
They were jailed in 2018 on espionage charges related to wildlife camera traps—a conviction widely condemned as baseless by international scientists and Iran's own environment ministry.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe described Kashani as a non-political person who endured two years in solitary confinement.
She noted that the couple stayed in Iran for family reasons but faced severe financial restrictions after their release.
“Jokar had dedicated his entire life to looking after the critically endangered Asiatic cheetahs in Iran.
He has an amazing knowledge of their life, their wellbeing and their habitats,” Zaghari-Ratcliffe said.
She added that while Jokar was in prison, an officially approved wildlife channel aired his programs.
According to Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the couple has only been permitted to make two phone calls since their arrest.
She expressed deep personal fear about the possibility of being sent back to an Iranian cell.
