The Time magazine says two brothers of Peyman Jebelli, director of Iran's state broadcaster and a close to Ali Khamenei's son Mojtaba, have defected and sought asylum abroad.

Jebelli’s two brothers left Iran in 2020 after their nephew was killed in IRGC's downing of a Ukrainian airliner that year, but according to one of them Peyman "stepped on his blood".

In 2021, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, appointed Jebelli as the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) which is infamous for propaganda and airing forced confessions of protesters.

Peyman Jebelli’s nephew, Mohammad Amin Jebelli, a 29-year-old medical student was on the Ukrainian airliner that was shot down by the IRGC on January 8, 2020.

“The death of Mohammad did not shake the loyalty of Peyman, or most of the Jebelli family. But it was the final straw for Peyman’s younger brother, Meisam Jebelli,” wrote the Time.

In late 2020, 43-year-old Meisam defected, along with another Jebelli brother.

“Both men could have had powerful positions in Iran, thanks to their older brother’s immense influence. Now both are asylum-seekers struggling to make a living abroad, yet proud of their decision,” added the Time.

"The final [straw] was after my nephew’s killing by IRGC... It was hard to fathom how after such a severe tragedy, both of my brothers, the chief of IRIB as well as Amin’s own father would still defend the government. I saw Peyman lie to my face, to the whole country," Meysam told the Time magazine.