Iran arrests 97 alleged ‘soldiers of Israel,’ state media reports say
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Iran’s intelligence ministry arrested 97 people accused of being “Israeli soldiers,” state media reported on Thursday.
The arrests are part of the country’s latest security sweep, which has seen hundreds of people detained for alleged links to Israel and the United States since the start of the war. Reuters in question.
Earlier on Thursday, state media quoted the police commander of Alborz province as saying that 41 people who sent videos to opposition media channels abroad had been arrested.
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A billboard showing Iran’s religious leaders since 1979: (From left) Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (until 1989), Ali Khamenei (until 2026), and Mojtaba Khamenei (incumbent) are displayed on a highway in Tehran on March 10, 2026. Iran marked the appointment of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father. Leader on March 9, 2026. (via AFP/Getty Images)
Iran’s intelligence ministry said on March 10 that it had arrested a foreign national as well as 30 others whom it described as spies, mercenaries and operational agents of Israel and the United States. Reuters.
The latest wave of arrests follows the killing of Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmaeil Khatib, in an Israeli attack in Tehran.
Khatib’s death was confirmed by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on March 18, and ten days after the launch of Operation Epic Rage and Operation Roaring Lion, both of which targeted the Iranian regime.
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Iranian Minister of Intelligence Esmaeil Khatib (center) sits with President Masoud Pezeshkian (center right) before his address to lawmakers in Tehran on August 17, 2024. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)
Under Khatib, the intelligence ministry’s role expanded significantly and it now operates extensive information networks among universities, media outlets, minority communities and activist circles across the country.
Its agents identify protest organizers, monitor communications and conduct interrogations. Jerusalem Post.
On March 12, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) also said that Iranian authorities had arrested nearly 200 people on charges related to the US-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic.
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The accusations include alleged activity on social media, sending content to foreign media organizations, espionage and disrupting public order. HRANA He said before adding that the count was based on official reports.
