Significant Arrests Amid Espionage Allegations
Iran has reported the detention of more than 2,000 individuals linked to a foreign espionage network accused of orchestrating attacks during the recent conflict with Israel. This announcement was made by a military spokesperson on Tuesday.
Abolfazl Shekarchi, a general and spokesman for the Iranian armed forces, revealed that authorities had infiltrated this spy network, which had reportedly been established over several years.
“A large network of spies and enemy agents had been formed, and years of effort and heavy costs were spent to build it,” Shekarchi stated in an interview with state media.
The crackdown began prior to Iran’s war with Israel in June and continued after hostilities ceased. “From a few months before the start of this war until its conclusion, around 2,000 agents were apprehended,” he added. “Reconstructing a network like this is not simple and requires years of time and cost.”
This wave of arrests is part of a larger postwar initiative targeting alleged spies and those suspected of collaborating with Israeli intelligence. Critics argue that these actions may serve as a pretext for suppressing political dissent within Iran.
The U.S. State Department reported on Tuesday that Iran executed 17 prisoners over two days, many accused of espionage for Israel. In total, Iran has executed over 1,500 prisoners in 2025 alone, prompting human rights organizations to label it as a “mass killing campaign.”
