16 April 2026 :
April 15, 2026 - IRAN. At Least 45 people arrested for ‘contacts with foreign media’.
At least 45 citizens have been arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in the provinces of Khuzestan, Gilan, Isfahan, Hormozgan, Hamedan, Kerman, and Kermanshah. Alleged links to Israeli and U.S. intelligence services, as well as media outlets based outside the country, were cited among the reasons for these arrests. A video containing the forced confession of one of these citizens has also been released, although the circumstances under which it was recorded remain unclear.
According to Tasnim News Agency, the Ministry of Intelligence of Iran claimed that 11 citizens, including the main network leader allegedly linked to Israeli intelligence services, were identified and arrested in Isfahan Province.
The statement further alleged that these citizens are accused of killing a Basij member and one Ministry of Intelligence agent in Khuzestan, as well as injuring several other Basij members. It also claimed that over the past two months, 11 other members of this “terrorist group” had been arrested, while five others were killed during an armed clash with security forces.
Separately, a video of the forced confession of one of these citizens has been published, though the conditions under which it was recorded are unknown.
The Ministry of Intelligence also announced the arrest of four citizens in Khuzestan and Kermanshah Provinces. The agency alleged that these individuals intended to carry out “sabotage” operations and were identified and arrested in the cities of Andimeshk and Qasr-e Shirin. According to the Ministry, “a number of weapons were discovered and seized from these citizens.”
In the same statement, the Ministry of Intelligence reported the arrest of 30 more citizens in four provinces, describing them as “members of a terrorist group linked to Israeli intelligence services.”
According to the agency, four citizens were arrested in Gilan Province, eight in Kerman Province, six in Hamedan Province, and 12 in Hormozgan Province. It also claimed that quantities of homemade bombs and weapons were discovered and confiscated from them.
The report did not provide further details, including the identities of these citizens or their place of detention.
