Rocket trails are visible in the sky over the Israeli coastal city of Netanya during a new barrage of Iranian missile attacks, June 21, 2025. (Credit: Jack Guez / AFP)
Police in Iran’s Qom province announced Saturday that 22 individuals had been arrested over the past eight days on charges of spying for Israel, according to the Fars news agency.
Since the first Israeli airstrikes on June 13, “22 individuals have been identified and arrested on suspicion of links to the intelligence services of the Zionist regime and of attempting to disrupt public opinion,” the agency reported, citing the provincial intelligence chief.
Earlier in the week, Kiumars Azizi, the police commander of western Tehran, told Tasnim News Agency that 24 people had been arrested for “spying for the Zionist enemy, both online and offline, and attempting to undermine public opinion and damage the sacred image of the Islamic Republic.”
On Friday, Tasnim also reported the arrest of a European national described as a “spy,” though his nationality and the date of his arrest were not disclosed.
Iran regularly arrests individuals it claims are involved in espionage, and had accused Israel — even prior to the current conflict — of being behind targeted assassinations and acts of sabotage linked to its nuclear program. Several people accused of spying for Israel have been executed in recent weeks.
Iran, which holds multiple Western or dual nationals, is frequently accused by human rights organizations and Western governments of using them as bargaining chips. At least seven French citizens have been detained in Iran simultaneously in recent years, with two still in custody.
Among them are Cecile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris, who were arrested during a 2022 tourist trip and are accused by Tehran of espionage — charges their families strongly deny.
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