Senior Iranian official arrested

A top-ranking official from Iran's Roads and Urban Development Ministry has been arrested, according to local media reports.

The Iranian presidential aide for parliamentary issues, Mohammed Husseini, confirmed the news, Caliber.Az reports with reference to the Azad İran Telegram channel.

Earlier, news of the arrest of Nasir Mekarimi Shirazi, grandson of the country's famous religious figure and Chief Advisor to Roads and Urban Development Minister Gasim Mekarimi Shirazi, circulated in Iranian media outlets.

Hosseini did not reveal the identity of the arrested official, but he did say that a number of employees were fired along with him from the department.

Following the spread of the news, Minister Ghasem Rostami failed to show up for work, sparking rumours of his arrest.

This is due to Rostami undergoing surgery, according to his deputy Ebrahim Raisi.

Shirazi, a religious figure whose grandson was arrested, controls the country's sugar monopoly and the market for imported granulated sugar.