Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Saturday that eight individuals were arrested for allegedly collaborating with Israel’s Mossad, passing sensitive information, and plotting attacks on high-ranking officials and key infrastructure.
According to a statement released by the Imam Reza Corps in Iran’s northeastern Razavi Khorasan province, the suspects were part of a “terrorist network” operating in the city of Mashhad. The arrests were carried out by the IRGC’s intelligence forces in coordination with the judiciary.
Authorities accused the group of transmitting coordinates of “vital and sensitive facilities” in Iran, providing intelligence on senior military figures, and planning attacks on government and military officials, as well as sabotage against key infrastructure in Mashhad.
During the operation, security forces reportedly seized materials intended for manufacturing launchers, bombs, explosives, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Saturday’s arrests follow Iran’s intensified crackdown on alleged Mossad collaborators after the 12-day war with Israel in June. During that conflict, Israel revealed the extent of its network inside Iran, alleging that agents provided coordinates for assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists and military leaders. These collaborators reportedly launched drones, quadcopters, and rocket attacks from within the country.
Since the war, Iran claims to have detained around 20,000 individuals, with approximately 700 charged in connection with aiding Israel. On August 9, Tehran executed nuclear scientist Rouzbeh Vadi, accused of passing sensitive information to Mossad that led to the death of at least one fellow scientist.
Iranian officials have increasingly warned that another war with Israel may be inevitable. This perception has fueled an aggressive security posture, with the government seeking to disrupt what it describes as deep Israeli intelligence penetration. Last year, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran at a building protected by the IRGC. Iranian authorities allege the bomb that killed him was planted months earlier by a collaborator.