An Iranian court has sentenced acclaimed filmmaker Jafar Panahi to five years and one month in prison in a new case, according to his lawyer. The ruling, delivered by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, also orders the confiscation of the director's movable and immovable assets and imposes a two-year ban on social media use and international travel.

Panahi, 66, learned of the verdict only after his bank accounts were frozen last week. His lawyer, Mostafa Nili, said the pair discovered the details during a visit to the sentence enforcement office of the Culture and Media Prosecutor’s Office. The court issued the decision in absentia without prior notification of a hearing date.

The charges, as well as Panahi's current whereabouts, were not specified in court documents or public reports as of Wednesday afternoon. Panahi already faces a separate one-year prison sentence for previous charges of "propaganda activities against the system", which a court upheld in June. That earlier ruling included its own two-year travel ban.

The director returned to Iran in late March after attending the Academy Awards ceremony in the United States. His film "It Was Just an Accident" received the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025 and advanced to the nomination stage for international feature recognition.

Panahi has endured repeated clashes with Iranian authorities over more than two decades. He spent seven months in Evin prison in 2022-2023 before his release following a hunger strike. Iranian officials have previously banned him from filmmaking and foreign travel for his work that critiques the regime.

Nili noted that Panahi currently has three pending legal cases. Implementation of the prison terms remains at the discretion of authorities, and no immediate detention has been reported. The lawyer plans to appeal the new ruling.

The sentencing comes amid ongoing tensions in the region, including conflicts involving Iran, Israel, and the United States that began earlier this year. Panahi has publicly criticized Iran's leadership and condemned their use of violence against protesters.