HRANA – The Cultural Deputy of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff announced that from several months before the start of the 12-day war with Israel until the end of the conflict, around 2,000 people in Iran were arrested on charges of espionage.

According to Daneshjoo News Agency, Abolfazl Shekarchi described the detainees as members of a “vast espionage network,” stating that from several months prior to the outbreak of the war between Israel and Iran until its conclusion, approximately 2,000 individuals linked to this network were apprehended.

He further claimed that “this extensive network was composed of spies and enemy agents, whose formation had taken years of effort. Significant resources were spent, and large sums of dollars were used to train and organize these individuals.”

The military official did not provide further details regarding the identities of those arrested, the time and place of the arrests, the detaining authority, or the judicial process related to the cases.

Meanwhile, following the end of the conflict, numerous reports have emerged indicating an increased use of the charge of “espionage” to arrest, convict, and even execute citizens in various parts of the country.

Although combating espionage is not in itself considered a human rights violation, given the Iranian government’s record of instrumentalizing this charge to target political opponents, such claims, especially in the absence of transparent details and due process—are consistently met with skepticism.

It is worth noting that in the early hours of June 13, 2025, a wave of Israeli airstrikes against Iranian territory began. According to previous field reports by HRANA, these attacks targeted not only military sites but also parts of civilian areas, resulting in the killing and injury of a significant number of civilians.

For more information, readers are encouraged to consult the comprehensive report on the 12-day war between Iran and Israel.