Iran has been struggling with a perennial issue of espionage by foreign powers, particularly by the US, UK, and Israel.
By TERRANCE J. MINTNER/THE MEDIA LINE
Iran announced on Tuesday that it had arrested "dozens of spies"
working in government organizations and bodies, Iranian Intelligence
Minister Mahmoud Alavi told the semi-official ISNA news agency,
according to Reuters.
The minister provided few details on those detained and the
circumstances of their arrest, but suggested that most are dual
nationals. “The intelligence ministry’s anti-espionage unit has
successfully identified and arrested tens of spies in different
governmental bodies,” Alavi told ISNA. “I have repeatedly asked people
to inform us if they know any dual national,” Alavi added, without
specifying what those dual nationalities are.
The Iranian regime does not recognize dual nationalities. This means
that those arrested will not be able to seek diplomatic services and
representation from the countries of which they are passport holders, as
enshrined in the UN Vienna Convention. UN officials have described this
growing practice as Iran’s "arbitrary deprivation of liberty of dual
nationals.”
Analysts believe the arrests of dual nationals have been increasing
since Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pronounced some time
ago that Western agents were “infiltrating” Iranian governmental
bodies. They also believe this might be a pressure tactic on Western
governments in light of the re-imposition of biting US sanctions on the
Iranian economy, set in place after the Trump administration pulled out
of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal last May.
The nuclear deal set measures in place to end the international
sanctions on Iran in return for greater restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear
program.
After the partial return of sanctions, the Iranian economy has been in
free fall as the currency—the rial—has slipped to record lows. This
instability has sparked several protests throughout the country with
calls to reform the political system, amounting to a direct challenge to
the country’s Islamist leadership.
By making the arrests, Alavi claimed that his ministry had foiled a
number of “terrorists” planning to set off bombs in metro stations and
universities, Reuters reported. The minister, however, did not offer
specifics about the alleged plots.
Sunni jihadist groups such as Al-Qaida and Islamic State (ISIS) consider
the Islamic Republic, a majority Shi’ite country, an arch-enemy. These
groups view Shi’ites as apostates of the Islamic faith. Last year,
Islamic State terrorists carried out attacks on Tehran’s parliament and
the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran’s 1979
Islamic Revolution. At least 18 people were killed in the attacks.
Since then, Iran’s security forces have been on heightened alert,
investigating alleged terrorist cells throughout the country. It is
unclear, though, if the recent arrests have anything to do with
combating ISIS or other terrorist organizations.
Yossi Melman, an Israeli journalist and writer who specializes in
security and intelligence affairs, told The Media Line that “Iran is
exposing so-called ‘Zionist,’ American, British, and other Western
spies.”
He explained that in many cases the arrests are based on fictions that
serve various purposes, such a getting rid of internal enemies or
boosting the morale of the public.
“From time to time, the Iranians arrest real spies,” Melman added. “But
at times, these arrests are fairly ridiculous. Iranian intelligence
officials once claimed that they busted a Zionist ring of a dozen or so
squirrels found within the nation's borders. They claimed these rodents
were being used to spy for Israel and Western powers.”
Mahan Abedin, an analyst of Middle Eastern politics and columnist based
in London, told The Media Line that the arrests “come against a backdrop
of heightened security concerns in Iran, partly because of the
ratcheting up of US pressure.”
He explained that this is definitely not about purging domestic
opponents as Iran already does that in an official manner for
transparent political or security reasons.
“Iran has been struggling with a perennial issue of espionage by foreign
powers, particularly by the US, UK, and Israel. But many other
countries are involved in this game, trying to recruit human resources.”
This, he explains, presents a complicated picture. On one hand, there is
a high level of espionage activities by adversary countries, but on the
other, Iran is trying to build up its counter-intelligence
capabilities.
“So Iran presents a very tough operational environment for foreign
services trying to gather intelligence,” Abedin said, explaining that
the Islamic Republic tries to keep the public informed while sending
messages of deterrence against would-be infiltrators.
“One of the issues going on in Iran is the question of dual nationals.
These are Iranians who hold some kind of foreign nationality, mostly
European or North American. These people have been identified as
security risks if they happen to work within the government or have
close relations with it.”
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