Tehran’s judiciary announced on Wednesday that it has referred 28 suspects to the Tehran Security Prosecutor’s Office in 15 separate cases, accusing them of collaborating with Israel’s intelligence and military services since what Iranian officials describe as the “open aggression” by the “Zionist regime” began.
According to the state-affiliated Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), a special investigative unit in the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office—backed by security and intelligence operatives dubbed the “anonymous agents of Imam Zaman”—identified the suspects through coordinated operations.
In one high-profile case, four individuals allegedly established a safe house for training with both reconnaissance and suicide drones, covering flight planning, launcher operation, and target reconnaissance to exploit the current conflict conditions.
IRNA further reported on Monday that in raids in the Fashafoyeh district, two suspected Mossad operatives were arrested and over 200 kg of explosives, 23 unmanned aerial vehicles, multiple launchers and guidance equipment, plus a Nissan pickup truck, were seized.
Over 20 people charged with spying for Israel
Across the 15 cases, additional charges include espionage, photographing military installations, propaganda in favour of Israel, illegal arms storage, and membership in opposition groups aiming to “undermine security” .
These judicial announcements arrived amid fierce political and military posturing on both sides. While Iranian authorities frame the arrests as a necessary defense of national sovereignty, independent verification of the evidence remains scant.
Western analysts caution that Tehran’s broad definitions of “collaboration” and “espionage” can serve both genuine security objectives and domestic propaganda aims, particularly at times of heightened external pressure and internal unrest.