Web Desk: Iranian authorities have detained hundreds of people suspected of sharing information with foreign adversaries, the country’s police chief said on Sunday, as Israeli and US forces continue to conduct airstrikes on targets across the country.
Police commander Ahmadreza Radan said around 500 individuals had been taken into custody on accusations of aiding hostile forces. According to him, many of the cases involved people allegedly providing intelligence used to guide attacks or distributing footage of strike locations.
Radan said roughly half of the arrests were tied to what he described as “serious incidents,” including the transmission of sensitive information about targeted sites. He did not specify when the arrests took place.
Iranian media outlets reported additional detentions in several provinces on Sunday.
In the country’s northwest, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said prosecutors had ordered the arrest of 20 individuals accused of sending details about military installations and security positions to Israel.
Authorities in northeastern Iran, an area that has largely avoided direct airstrikes, also detained 10 people suspected of gathering information about critical facilities and economic infrastructure, Tasnim reported.
Meanwhile, the Student News Network said security forces in the western province of Lorestan arrested three individuals accused of spreading material intended to influence public opinion and damage symbolic sites.
Iranian officials have framed the arrests as part of a broader effort to counter espionage and destabilization during the ongoing conflict.
A regional branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ intelligence unit said foreign powers were attempting to exploit internal unrest alongside military attacks.
According to the statement, Israel and the United States were allegedly working with informants inside the country to collect intelligence and incite disorder.
Security concerns have intensified following reports that Israeli forces have begun striking checkpoints and other targets based on information from sources on the ground, according to a person familiar with Israel’s military planning.
Separately, Iranian authorities said they had arrested 18 people accused of maintaining contacts with Iran International, a satellite news channel that Tehran alleges has ties to Israel.
According to Iran’s state broadcaster Press TV, the intelligence ministry said the detainees were suspected of sending images and information about locations hit during U.S. and Israeli attacks, as well as details about the movements of emergency response teams.
Officials added that legal action was also being pursued against at least 21 additional individuals in connection with the investigation.
The wave of arrests has raised concerns among rights groups, which warn that wartime crackdowns could target dissent as well as alleged espionage.
The detentions come months after widespread anti-government protests erupted across Iran earlier this year. Authorities suppressed the demonstrations in what observers described as one of the most severe crackdowns in the country’s history.
Iranian officials had blamed the unrest on foreign interference, accusing Israel and the United States of encouraging what they described as violent attempts to undermine the government.
As military operations continue, analysts say the government is tightening internal security measures amid fears of further unrest and intelligence leaks.
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