Authorities say operation also led to the arrest of four armed suspects in Kerman Province

By Sadiq Abdulfatah

Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence says it has arrested 21 people allegedly linked to Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, in Kerman Province, as part of an operation targeting espionage and security threats.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry said one key suspect and 20 others were identified and arrested in different cities across the province.

According to the statement, the main suspect collected classified information on sensitive military and air defence sites and passed it to the Israeli intelligence service.

The ministry said the remaining 20 suspects were arrested over activities on social media, adding that investigations are still ongoing. It also alleged that some of them helped identify and provide the locations of sensitive security facilities in Kerman Province to Israeli intelligence during the recent war.

In a separate operation, the ministry said four armed suspects linked to criminal activities and unrest were also arrested in the province.

Authorities said they recovered several military-grade and hunting rifles, as well as ammunition, during the operation.

The ministry further said that, as part of ongoing investigations into what it described as the US- and Israeli-backed riots of January 2026, security agencies recovered four military firearms from five previously detained armed suspects. It added that the recovered weapons had been handed over to the judiciary for further legal action.

According to Iranian authorities, protests by merchants broke out in Tehran and other cities in January 2026 over economic hardship worsened by years of Western sanctions. The government said while the demonstrations began peacefully, they were later taken over by individuals allegedly backed by the United States and Israel, who encouraged violence, vandalism and attacks on public property.

Officials also claimed that some of the suspects had been armed, trained and recruited by US and Israeli intelligence agencies to carry out violent activities against civilians and security personnel.

The Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs said 3,117 people died during the unrest.

Source: Press TV