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Spies and Scapegoats: Inside Iran's Sweeping Crackdown after War with Israel

(The New Arab-UK) Fehrad Bohrami - Following nearly two weeks of Israeli and American airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites, Tehran's leadership has launched what former officials and observers describe as its most aggressive domestic security crackdown in years. Since mid-June, authorities have detained at least two dozen people in Tehran alone, accused of spying for the Mossad or assisting Israeli strikes, while claiming to have disrupted deep espionage networks. Iran's judiciary chief has ordered expedited trials and executions for alleged collaborators, invoking sweeping charges such as "enmity against God" and "corruption on earth." At least six executions have already taken place. According to observers, the campaign is a reflection of the deepening alarm in Tehran over what it calls "deep Israeli intelligence penetration." Across Iran, eyewitnesses describe frequent raids, mass arrests, and a visible spike in police and Revolutionary Guard patrols. In Qom, journalist Naeem Afdal Zadeh said, "The presence of checkpoints is unprecedented....The atmosphere of constant surveillance and interrogation has intruded into daily life, generating tension." A senior Iranian official disclosed that Moscow recently alerted Tehran to the case of a senior Defense Ministry figure suspected of collaborating with the Mossad. The man was swiftly arrested and executed, triggering panic among Iran's security elite. As of the end of June, official reports indicate that over 700 individuals have been detained on suspicion of espionage or collaboration with foreign intelligence agencies. University of Tehran student Ali Khorshidi said, "We've never seen this level of security presence before. At the university, people whisper but no longer speak. There are sudden disappearances. Families are terrified of false espionage charges." What once felt like patriotic solidarity at the start of the war has given way to fear of the state itself. The charge of "spying for Israel," he said, has become a tool for silencing dissent and settling political scores.
2025-07-03 00:00:00
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