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Iran arrests 127 over alleged preparations for ‘enemy attack’

April 18, 2026 at 12:10 pm

A view of giant banner, featuring an image of the Iranian flag and the slogan reading “Iran is our homeland, the flag is our shroud” at Enghelab Square in the capital Tehran, Iran on January 15, 2026. [Fatemeh Bahrami – Anadolu Agency]

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) arrested at least 127 people across the country who it claimed were affiliated with the UK, US and Israel, and were “preparing the groundwork for a military attack by the enemy,” Anadolu reports.

According to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, the IRGC arrested seven suspects in East Azerbaijan province, alleging they “were preparing weapons and planning sabotage activities, while also sending coordinates of sensitive sites to their contact abroad.”

Another 69 individuals were arrested in Mazandaran province, while in Kerman province, 51 others—including three “espionage teams” —were identified, it added.

Tehran has detained dozens of people on spying charges following the US-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28, which has killed more than 3,000 people.

A recently strengthened espionage law allows the authorities to impose the death penalty on those accused of spying and confiscate their property.

READ: US, Iran likely on Monday to hold 2nd round for technical talks in Islamabad: Sources