Killing of Arash Kasravi

Arash Kasravi was an Iranian-born Zoroastrian priest (mobed) and community leader based in Irvine, California. Born to Dariush Kasravi and Mehrbanou Kavyani, he grew up in Kerman province, Iran, and worked for the Tehran-based Zoroastrian weekly newspaper Amordad before immigrating to the United States in the early 2010s with his wife. In California he served at a Zoroastrian fire temple, conducted religious ceremonies, and mentored younger Zoroastrians. He was married to Gita Nikzad and had two children, Aurad and Deeba Kasravi.

Following his father's death, Kasravi returned to Iran to take part in memorial ceremonies and to settle family property and inheritance matters in Kerman. Friends later said he had received warnings and threats connected to these land and inheritance disputes before a trip he intended to be temporary.

On July 21, 2020, Kasravi and two companions disappeared in Mahan, Kerman. Three days later, on July 24, their bodies were discovered. Kasravi and a female associate, described as his personal nurse, were found inside the trunk of his Citroën Xantia; a third victim was found elsewhere on his property.

The Kerman province prosecutor described the killings as a financially motivated triple homicide after roughly US$10,000 was found in Kasravi's car. Local Iranian media identified Mohammad-Javad GanjaliKhani Hakimi, described as a business associate of Kasravi in his property matters, as the main suspect. Authorities said Hakimi died by suicide shortly after the killings, though no autopsy was reported on his body, and reported the arrest of two unnamed individuals accused of helping conceal the crime. No further details on these arrests, court proceedings, or forensic findings were released. Iranian authorities did not disclose whether autopsies were performed on any of the victims, and as of 2025 have released no new information to the public or to the victims' families.

Kasravi's funeral was held on August 3, 2020, at the Zoroastrian cemetery in Kerman, beginning with rites at the Kerman Fire Temple. The California Zoroastrian Center, where Kasravi had served as a priest, organized a memorial and issued a statement calling for a full investigation. The Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America also issued a statement mourning Kasravi and urging Iranian authorities to identify those responsible. Persian-language outlets Amordad and IranWire covered the case and questioned the thoroughness of the investigation.

The case drew broader attention to the legal status of religious minorities in Iran. Under Iranian law, qisas (equal retribution) does not automatically apply when a Muslim kills a member of a recognized religious minority, and compensation can be set at a lower level for non-Muslim victims. Human rights organizations have long documented such disparities in Iran's treatment of religious minorities generally. As of 2025, no individual has been publicly charged or convicted, and Iranian authorities are reported to have effectively abandoned the investigation.