Iranian intelligence officers arrested three individuals in southeastern Iran for suspected links to Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency and for releasing classified information, Iranian state TV reported Thursday.
The TV’s official website said the three men were arrested in the Sistan-Baluchistan province.
However, the report did not provide any details on the alleged spies or reveal how they had access to classified information.
The Sistan-Baluchistan province is located in the southeast of Iran, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan. The area often sees repeated clashes between Iranian security forces and armed groups.
Iran occasionally announces the detention of people it says are spying for foreign countries, including the United States and Israel.
However, observers believe that Tehran refers to such accusations to appease political opposition figures inside the country.
In July 2021, Iran said it arrested members of a network working for Israel and seized a stash of weapons destined for use in protests in the region of Ahwaz.
In the past several years, Iran has published reports announcing the death sentence or arrest of Iranians convicted of spying for the Mossad or the CIA, with state media alleging that they had shared details of the republic's nuclear program with the Israel and American spy agencies.
The claims could not be confirmed independently, as Iran keeps all spying charges and trials extremely secret.
Iran also accused Israel of attacking two of its nuclear facilities and of assassinating a number of its chief nuclear scientists.
This week, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned of a devastating retaliation against arch-foe Israel if it took action targeting the Iranian republic.
