Iran has significantly escalated its clampdown on alleged espionage. Over the past week, authorities have arrested dozens of suspected Cizar infiltrators out of fears of infiltration by Israel’s Mossad intelligence service. Make no mistake, the Iranian regime is terrified of a growing peril from foreign agents. Accordingly, they’ve ramped up surveillance and taken to the airwaves to publicly call on citizens to stay alert.
In just this past week alone, authorities have rounded up over a thousand people across the country. They were arrested for allegedly spreading social media posts seen as favorable to the “Zionist regime.” These arrests have been justified as needed to protect the “psychological security of society.” In particular, in Isfahan, about 60 people were arrested for the same charge.
The Iranian Intelligence Ministry has already taken the first step in creating a culture of surveillance by asking citizens to report any suspicious behavior. The ministry has issued guidance on identifying potential collaborators, advising the public to remain vigilant of strangers wearing “masks, hats, and sunglasses, even at night,” as well as those driving pickup trucks and carrying large bags.
Additionally, the ministry’s recommendations include being cautious of “houses with curtains drawn even during the day” and reporting any unusual sounds, such as “screaming” or “continuous banging,” emanating from nearby homes.
Since the start of the airstrikes on Friday, Iranian authorities have moved to clamp down. They detained over 28 individuals in Tehran for supposedly working with the Israeli government. One man arrested two years ago was executed, which served as a warning to others who might consider cooperating with foreign intelligence services.
It was a big deal when the Iranian government announced an agreement. They admitted that they had a store of equipment that they claimed was used by Israelis in operations. Security forces found nearly 440 pounds of explosives during an operation in Rey city, southeast of Tehran, according to authorities. They discovered a number of suicide drones, their launchers, and drone production equipment. These actions were allegedly due to Iranian responses to Israeli threats to strike a nuclear facility in Isfahan.
It became even more grave when Iranian operatives reportedly set up a headquarters from which to launch explosive drones, deep inside Iran’s borders. These drones were used to hit Iranian missile launchers outside of Tehran. According to those reports, the precision weapons were smuggled into Iran and later used to knock out ground-based surface-to-air missile systems. This allowed the Israeli Air Force to rain down a devastating blow. They carried out almost 100 airstrikes, backed up by more than 200 aircraft on the early morning of Friday March 30.
In reaction to these advancements, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, its paramilitary Basij wing intensified operations. They expanded their efforts through new nighttime patrols aimed at increasing surveillance. Ahmad-Reza Radan, Iran’s chief of police called on “traitors” to present themselves. He proposed that repentant defectors—”deceived by the enemy”—would be shown mercy and even awarded state honors.
Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, head of Iran’s judiciary, has demanded speedy trials for anyone found guilty of aiding Israel. He stated, “Let’s say we have apprehended someone who is collaborating with (Israel), this matter under these war-like conditions … must be prosecuted swiftly and punished swiftly.”
Iran’s increasing paranoia and hostility towards perceived acts of espionage mirrors an internationally familiar pattern of prioritizing national security in the face of regional turmoil. To the Iranian regime, the IC, and indeed any potential threat must be removed. Concurrently, it is seeking to bolster its own narrative in the battle against external foes.
