Iran arrests 12 people accused of links with foreign agents

Iran has arrested 12 people accused of being linked to overseas agents and planning “subversive action”, as anti-government protests continue to take place across the country.

In a statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), it claimed that 12 individuals were part of a network to threaten Iran’s national security and foment instability, without specifying their nationality or any other details about them.

“The members of this network, under the guidance of anti-revolutionary agents living in Germany and the Netherlands, were intending to carry out subversive action by procuring war weapons and acting against national security,” it stated.

Since the death of a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa Amini under police custody almost three months ago, after she was arrested for allegedly wearing her headscarf loosely, protests have erupted throughout Iran. While the police claim Amini died from a heart attack, her family and protesters insist she was beaten to death by the police.

The unrest and the authorities’ brutal crackdown have resulted in the deaths of hundreds and tens of thousands of arrests. Dozens of foreigners have been amongst those arrested, especially as a result of the Iranian government’s claim that the protests were instigated by foreign intelligence agencies and that foreign tourists or residents are directly connected to them.

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