Iran announces arrest of 500 people on espionage charges since the start of military confrontation

The commander of Iran's security forces, Ahmad Reza Radan, announced today, Sunday, the implementation of a widespread arrest campaign that included 500 people across the country since the recent American and Israeli military operations began. The authorities charged those arrested with espionage for hostile parties and transmitting sensitive information to external media outlets aimed at destabilizing internal stability under the current circumstances.

Radan explained in press statements that initial investigations revealed that about half of these cases are related to serious security crimes, where some defendants provided precise coordinates of strategic sites that were subsequently targeted. The charges also included individuals monitoring and photographing the sites of air raids immediately after they occurred and sending that material to foreign intelligence agencies to assess the damage.

These developments come at a time when Iran is witnessing a direct military confrontation that began on February 28, resulting in hundreds of casualties, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a number of senior security commanders. Tehran is responding to these attacks by launching waves of missiles and drones towards Israeli targets, in addition to targeting what it describes as American interests in the region.

In details of field operations, media sources reported the arrest of 20 people in the northwestern regions of the country based on orders from the regional public prosecutor. This group faces explicit accusations of leaking precise details about the locations of sensitive Iranian military and security assets to Israeli intelligence in recent weeks.

In northeastern Iran, arrests targeted ten people on charges of collecting intelligence data on economic infrastructure and vital sites that have remained untouched by air strikes so far. Local reports confirmed that these moves aim to thwart enemy attempts to expand the circle of targets to include vital and service sectors in the country.

For its part, the intelligence agency of the Revolutionary Guard warned that external powers are working in parallel with military operations to mobilize networks of mercenaries and spies within Iranian cities. The agency indicated in a statement that the goal of these moves is to incite riots and internal chaos as a complementary step to the military invasion the country is facing.

In a related context, informed sources stated that Israel has moved to a new phase in its attack that relies heavily on information obtained from informants on the ground to target security checkpoints. This coincided with the arrest of three people in Lorestan province on charges of seeking to stir public opinion and carrying out acts of sabotage targeting national and religious symbols during the mourning period.

Half of the detainees' cases involve serious incidents, including providing accurate information to target vital sites and photographing the results of air raids.