World May 3, 2026 11:25 AM

Narges Mohammadi in Critical Condition After Hospital Transfer, Foundation Says

Family-run foundation says oxygen therapy is stabilising jailed Nobel laureate amid calls for transfer to Tehran medical team

By Nina Shah
Narges Mohammadi in Critical Condition After Hospital Transfer, Foundation Says

Jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi was reported in critical condition in a cardiac care unit in northwestern Iran after being moved from prison following a severe decline in health. Her family foundation said treatment has been limited to stabilisation with oxygen therapy and called for her transfer to medical specialists in Tehran.

Key Points

  • Mohammadi was moved from prison to a cardiac care unit in Zanjan after a severe decline in health, including two episodes of complete loss of consciousness and a major cardiac crisis - impacts healthcare providers and medical services in the region.
  • Her blood pressure remains dangerously unstable and current interventions have been limited to oxygen therapy and stabilisation efforts - relevant to hospital cardiology services and patient transfer logistics.
  • Mohammadi received a new 7-1/2 year prison sentence in February and was arrested in December after remarks at a memorial; the Nobel committee had urged Iranian authorities to free her - relevant to legal and judicial institutions and to broader geopolitical considerations.

Narges Mohammadi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate currently serving a prison sentence in Iran, remained in critical condition on Sunday while being treated in a cardiac care unit in the country's northwest, according to a statement from a foundation run by her family.

The Narges Mohammadi Foundation said her blood pressure has continued to fluctuate at dangerous levels since she was taken from prison to the hospital two days earlier. Medical efforts so far have focused on stabilising her through oxygen therapy, the foundation added.

Mohammadi, who is in her 50s, was transferred from custody to a hospital in the city of Zanjan on Friday after what the foundation described as a "catastrophic deterioration" in her health. The foundation said the deterioration included two episodes in which she completely lost consciousness and a severe cardiac crisis.

The foundation's statement emphasised that effective treatment for her condition would require a transfer to her established medical team in Tehran. It said that, as of Sunday, such a transfer had not occurred and that current care has been limited to measures aimed at stabilising her vital signs.

Family members previously reported that Mohammadi suffered a suspected heart attack in late March. The foundation reiterated that timely access to appropriate medical specialists is essential to address the complexity of her condition.

Mohammadi was handed a new prison sentence of seven and a half years earlier in February, the foundation said. That development occurred weeks before what the statement described as the launch of war against Iran by the United States and Israel; at the time of the sentencing, the Nobel committee urged Iranian authorities to release her immediately.

Her December arrest followed public remarks she made at a memorial for a lawyer, Khosrow Alikordi, whose death she had denounced. Prosecutor Hasan Hematifar told reporters then that she had made provocative remarks at that memorial ceremony, according to the foundation's recounting of events.

The foundation's account presents an urgent medical picture: a prisoner with a serious cardiac condition under limited hospital care outside the capital and whose treatment team in Tehran has not yet taken over her care. The statement underscores the immediate medical risks and the family's call for transfer to specialists capable of delivering more comprehensive treatment.

Risks

  • Limited access to specialist care unless Mohammadi is transferred to her medical team in Tehran creates a medical risk of further deterioration - affects hospital capacity and emergency cardiology services.
  • Ongoing dangerous fluctuations in blood pressure and prior suspected heart attack present an immediate health risk with uncertain prognosis under current stabilisation-only treatment.
  • Legal and custodial constraints on movement and treatment of a prisoner with serious health needs introduce uncertainty about the timing and extent of appropriate medical intervention - relevant to legal, corrections, and healthcare administration sectors.

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