Iran’s security authorities arrested 500 spies working for the US and Israel

Iran’s police chief, Ahmadreza Radan, announced the arrest of 500 people on charges of leaking information to hostile parties.

“Half of the cases registered fall under the category of serious incidents,” Radan said, noting that the defendants were involved in providing coordinates and accurate information to target specific locations, in addition to photographing the locations of the raids and sending them to external parties.

Iranian media have also reported widespread arrest campaigns in several provinces in the northwest of the country.

The Iranian, Tasnim news agency quoted the regional prosecutor’s office as saying that 20 people were arrested on charges of sending details about the locations of Iranian military and security assets to Israel.

The arrests also affected areas that have so far remained far from the scene of military operations, as the same agency reported the arrest of 10 people in northeastern Iran, some of whom were charged with collecting information on economic infrastructure and sensitive sites.

A local branch of the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence service said that Israel and the United States, in parallel with the invasion of Iran, are moving mercenaries and spies to carry out riots as a follow-up step to destabilize the country.

The head of Iran’s judiciary said on Monday that there should be no leniency or delay in sentencing those accused of cooperating with Israel and the United States.

“We must not be lenient or slow in implementing the final sentences against those who committed crimes during the war and unrest, and were linked to the aggressor enemy,” head of Iran’s judiciary Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeisaid.

“It’s necessary to expedite the review and adjudication of causes related to elements accused of threatening public security,” he added.

Local media reported that in recent weeks authorities have carried out large-scale raids across Iran, arresting hundreds of people suspected of collaborating with Israel and the United States in recent days.

The Iranian military has warned countries in the region against any cooperation with the London-based TV channel Iran International, stressing that the infrastructure used to support the channel will be considered a target.

Iran’s Central Military Operations Room said in a statement on Sunday evening, “the TV channel was exploiting the satellite capabilities and media infrastructure of some countries in the region with the aim of creating tensions and fabricating false narratives which is serving criminal goals of America and the Zionist entity”.

The statement threatened to designate any elements of cooperation with this malicious network as a target of the Islamic Republic.

Iran has designated Iran International TV channel as a “terrorist organization” since 2022 and has accused it in recent months of being affiliated with Israel, warning that any cooperation with it will expose those concerned to sanctions.

Iranian authorities announced on Sunday that at least 18 people had been arrested on charges of sending photos and information to the TV channel.