The brother of Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday, state news agency Fars reported. “Hossein Fereydoun was sentenced to five years in prison but he may face further charges in another case,” judicial spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili was quoted as saying by Fars. Fereydoun is known to be a trusted adviser of Mr Rouhani and was involved in the talks that led to the 2015 deal regarding Iran's nuclear programme. The trial of Fereydoun, along with six co-defendants, began last February. The judiciary did not give details of the charges. Fereydoun was initially held in 2017 following long-running corruption allegations. The judiciary said at the time that he was the subject of “multiple investigations”. He was also accused of financial crimes. A day after Fereydoun's arrest two years ago, he was released on bail for millions of dollars, according to local media reports. Fereydoun, sometimes referred to in Iran as Mr Rouhani’s “eyes and ears”, had already been the target of attacks by some conservatives. Supporters of the Iranian president say the sentencing was politically motivated and aimed at exerting pressure on Mr Rouhani.
