An Israeli spy network operating in Iran was captured by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence, Iranian state-owned Tasnim reported on Saturday evening citing the Islamic Republic’s Information Ministry.
The network, which was in direct contact with the Mossad, planned to carry out "unprecedented acts of sabotage and terrorist operations" in Iran, the report claimed.
According to the report, the alleged spies entered Iran from the West through the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq. The report also noted that the network was collaborating with the People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran, a political-militant group that opposes the rule of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The Prime Minister's Office, which oversees Mossad, declined to comment.
Iran often accuses its enemies or rivals abroad – such as Israel, the United States and Saudi Arabia – of trying to destabilize the country.
The Intelligence Ministry did not say how many people were arrested and did not divulge their nationality. The network planned “acts of sabotage and unprecedented terrorist operations in sensitive locations,” its statement said, without giving details.
Lapid and Biden
Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a joint pledge to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear arms.
Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful and denies seeking nuclear weapons.The Iranian ministry reportedly added that all of the network’s communication equipment and “the most powerful explosives” were discovered and confiscated.
An investigation into internal or external connections to the alleged spy network is ongoing, the report noted.