Iran's Intelligence Ministry claimed Tuesday that Iranian authorities have arrested six teams working for the Mossad in the country.
In total, 23 alleged operatives were identified by Iranian authorities in the Tehran, Isfahan, Yazd, West Azarbaijan and Golestan provinces and 13 individuals who were in the country have been arrested.
According to the ministry, the network of teams is headed by a person using the pseudonym "Cyrus," who resides in a European country and contacts Iranians through Instagram and WhatsApp.
The ministry claimed that the Mossad was trying to "take advantage" of the protests sweeping Iran to assassinate a military official and carry out several "sabotage operations" in major cities. The network also allegedly tried to transport large-scale explosives from Iran's southern coast.
Series of claims made by Iranian officials concerning alleged Mossad agents in Iran
The alleged arrests were first reported by Iran's Intelligence Ministry in late December, when the ministry claimed that four teams had been discovered. Just days before that announcement, the ministry claimed that it thwarted a Mossad network attempting to sabotage its defense industries.
According to the ministry, the Mossad contacted companies that work with the Islamic Republic’s defense industries in order to collect information. The Mossad allegedly began working with a person named “Frank” who works as a sales manager for a company that supplies parts and is in contact with Iranian companies, according to the report.
Iranian intelligence claimed that Frank invited his employees to a seminar in Malaysia and introduced them to a man named “Hadrien,” who runs a company in Singapore that works with Iranian companies to produce carbon fiber and metal alloys.
The two worked with colleagues in Iran who identified the latest needs of the military and defense establishment in the country, according to the ministry.