Daughter of former Iranian president arrested

Iran's official news agency says authorities have detained the daughter of influential ex-president and political centrist Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

The Sunday report by IRNA says Tehran's judiciary department took Faezeh Hashemi into custody late Saturday to serve a six-month sentence on charges of making propaganda against the ruling system.

Earlier this year a court convicted her and banned her from political activity for five years. Her lawyer said the accusations were related to interviews she gave to news websites.

Since the disputed reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009, in which Rafsanjani supported Ahmadinejad's reformist challenger, his family has come under pressure from hardliners.

In recent months, there are indications that the 78-year-old former president, who favours a more moderated approach to the West, may be making a political comeback.