Wednesday, August 29th., 2018
Iran Says It Arrested Numerous Foreign Spies Who Infiltrated Government
Iran Says It Arrested Numerous Foreign Spies Who Infiltrated Government
Iranian
Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said on Tuesday that security
forces had arrested "tens of spies" working in different branches of the
Iranian government, according to the Iranian Students News Agency
(ISNA), a semi-official media publication in the country.
The
intelligence minister did not say which countries the spies were
working for nor when they were arrested, but only that many of them were
dual citizens of Iran and other states.
"I have repeatedly asked people to inform us if
they know any dual national. The Intelligence Ministry's anti-espionage
unit has successfully identified and arrested tens of spies
in different governmental bodies," ISNA quotes the minister as saying.
Maryam Rajavi, leader of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), a
former US-designated terrorist organization which now enjoys deep ties
to the US State Department and White House, called on Saturday
for Western countries to expell "the regime's spies and mercenaries"
which she argued take "advantage of diplomatic resources to promote
state-sponsored terrorism."
On August 20, the US Justice Department
announced charges against a California resident and Iranian citizen
as well as a dual US-Iranian citizen for spying on MEK and Israeli
institutions in Chicago.
The men, Ahmadrez Mohammadi-Doostdar, 38, and Majid Ghorbani, 59, are
"alleged to have acted on behalf of Iran, including by conducting
surveillance of political opponents and engaging in other activities
that could put Americans at risk," US Assistant Attorney General
for National Security John Demers said in a statement.