Iranian soccer legend Ali Daei has said an international flight was hijacked to prevent his wife and daughter from leaving the country.
The 53-year-old, who has expressed support for anti-government protests, said his family tried to fly from Tehran to Dubai to join him on vacation on Monday.
But the flight was made to land on an Iranian Gulf island, and they were deported.
No reason was given, and the couple is returning to Tehran, Ali Daei added.
The latest protests were sparked by the death in custody of Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini, 22, in September. She had been detained for allegedly wearing her headscarf inappropriately.
More than 500 protesters, including 69 children, were killed, while thousands more were arrested, according to human rights activists. Dozens of Iranian security personnel were also reportedly killed.
Iran’s state-run Irna news agency said Mr Daei’s wife, Mona Farrokhazari, had pledged to inform officials before leaving the country, following “the couple’s association with anti-revolution groups Islamic”.
Irna said their flight landed on Kish Island, and “Ali Daei’s wife and daughter got off the plane.”
Mr Daei said the couple were “going to Dubai for a few days return trip”, adding: “If they had been banned (from leaving), the passport police system should have shown it. No one told me. Answered on this subject. .”
In a social media post in September, he urged the government to “solve the problems of the Iranian people rather than resorting to repression, violence and arrests.”
Earlier in December, his jewelry store and restaurant in Tehran were shut down by the courts.
Along with the arrests, Iranian authorities have banned several celebrities, artists and public figures from leaving the country following their support for mass protests.
Ali Daei, 53, is one of Iran’s most famous sports personalities. A former captain of the national football team, he scored 109 goals at international level in the 1990s and early 2000s.