TEHERAN, Iran, April 23 (AP) — Ardeshir Zahedi, former top Iranian assistant in the U.S. Point Four program here and a graduate of University of Utah, was one of three men arrested today, reliable sources reported.

Although no specific charges were made, it was assumed the arrests were connected with the mysterious disappearance Monday of National Police Chief Brig. Gen. Mahmood Afshartus. [Mahmoud Afshartous]

Zahedi's father, [Fazlollah Zahedi] a general frequently named by the government opposition as a likely candidate for premier, also reportedly was being sought. The elder Zahedi was arrested just before an outbreak of rioting last February and was held then about two weeks. He formerly was a member of Premier Mohammed Mossadegh’s Cabinet.

Was Iranian Staffer

Young Zahedi served as the top Iranian staffer to William E. Warne, director of the U.S. technical assistance program, until a few months ago. Point Four officials said he went on an extended leave. But Iranian sources complained he was released because Mossadegh objected to the son of one of his leading opponents holding a high position in the American organization.

Also reported arrested in the latest roundup were Brig. Gen. Ali Asghar Mozayani, brother of former National Police Chief Mansoor Mozayani, and an unidentified retired army officer.

Papers in the capital hinted that women, not politics, figured in the disappearance of Afshartus, who vanished in a lane in the heart of Tehran. One newspaper said three attractive women were being held and another said four women and one man had been detained. The semi-official newspaper Bakhtar Emrooz said a society playgirl had been picked up. None of these reports were confirmed, however.