A Spanish fan was detained in Iran while traveling to the World Cup

• Santiago Sánchez, a Spanish hiker and football enthusiast, uploaded many pictures to Instagram on October 1.
• Friends and relatives had been wondering about his whereabouts for weeks until it was revealed that the 41-year-old was being held in Tehran, the capital of Iran.
• Salamanca reported that his acquaintance, who had recently visited Iran as part of a trip to Saudi Arabia, had expressed optimism about the idea of traveling there.

Santiago Sánchez, a Spanish hiker and football enthusiast, uploaded many pictures to Instagram on October 1. Along with pictures of his journey through Iraq, he commented, “Last village in northern Iraq, a mountain separates me from reaching Iran, the next country before reaching Qatar.

In preparation for the Fifa 2022 World Cup, Mr. Sánchez was nearing the end of his arduous journey from Madrid to Doha. Since then, he hasn’t posted.

Friends and relatives had been wondering about his whereabouts for weeks until it was revealed that the 41-year-old was being held in Tehran, the capital of Iran.

One of his pals, Francho Salamanca, informed News that he had been detained and was currently being held in a prison in Tehran.

The news was informed by Spain’s foreign ministry that its embassy in Tehran was in touch with Iranian authorities but that further comment was not permitted.

An inquiry for comment was not immediately answered by the Iranian foreign ministry. It’s unclear exactly what occurred to Mr. Sanchez when he arrived in Iran.

According to unnamed sources, he was “kidnapped by Iranian security forces” after visiting the grave of Mahsa Amini, who passed away in custody after being detained for allegedly wearing her hijab “improperly,” according to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, based in Iraqi Kurdistan across the border.

Iran has experienced widespread protests since the death of Ms. Amini, 22, on September 16.

According to Iran Human Rights, a Norwegian organization, security forces have so far killed at least 234 demonstrators, including 29 minors. The turmoil has been characterized by Iran’s officials as “riots” started by foreigners.

On October 2, Mr. Salamanca telephoned Mr. Sánchez. He was calling to let him know he had to cancel his plan to travel with him across Iran.

He told the news, “I was supposed to go on the last leg of his voyage via Iran and for business reasons, I couldn’t complete the last stage and I remained in Spain. It’s only by accident that we were conversing.

Mr. Salamanca reported that his acquaintance, who had recently visited Iran as part of a trip to Saudi Arabia, had expressed optimism about the idea of travelling there.

According to Mr. Salamanca, “the folks in Iran treated him extremely well, they’re lovely, and they helped him a lot.”

Former paratrooper and ardent Real Madrid supporter Mr. Sánchez was preparing to travel to Tehran for an interview with a television station. After that, he was headed to southern Iranian port Bandar Abbas, from whence he would take a boat to Qatar.

They were initially not too concerned when he stopped communicating with them because he had informed them that he would have limited internet access in Iran.

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