Iran's Intelligence Ministry announced on Tuesday that security forces have arrested dozens of individuals, including a foreign national, on allegations of conducting espionage for the country's "enemies." The ministry's statement comes amid a backdrop of active hostilities between Iran and the U.S. and Israel.
The ministry said the foreign national "was conducting espionage on behalf of the United States and Israel, and acting as a proxy for two Gulf countries," according to state media. The ministry did not make the person's nationality public.
Officials framed the detentions as part of a broader security effort during what they described as an ongoing war with the U.S. and Israel. Earlier in the reported exchange of violence, the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on February 28 that the statement said killed the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several commanders. Iran has since carried out retaliatory strikes against Gulf countries that are U.S. allies and that host American military bases, the statement said.
The Intelligence Ministry further reported that "30 spies, internal mercenaries, and operational agents of Israel and the U.S." were arrested over the past few days. The announcement drew a parallel report from Iran's police leadership: Police chief Ahmadreza Radan told state television that approximately 81 people had been detained so far for "sharing internal Iranian information with hostile media and enemies." He did not provide additional detail.
State statements noted that such arrests are not unprecedented. In recent years, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has detained dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, most often on charges framed as espionage or related to national security.
Human rights organizations have previously criticized Iran over such detentions, saying arrests on security grounds can be used to press concessions from other states. Tehran rejects that characterization and maintains it does not arrest people for political reasons.
Contextual note: The information presented here is drawn from official Iranian ministry and police statements as reported by state media. Where officials did not disclose details such as the foreign national's nationality or further specifics about the detainees, those limitations are reflected in this account.