1,895 Iranians Face Espionage Charges as Security Fears Grow
Judiciary officials report a surge in national security cases, including mass arrests and executions, following two major wars.
By Dominic Foster ·
Iranian residents face harsher penalties for sharing information with foreign media, with sentences ranging from 10 to 15 years in prison. Authorities have also moved to confiscate Starlink terminals, which officials label a tool of war, and imposed an internet blackout that lasted 88 days at the start of the current conflict.
The judiciary spokesman Ali Kazemi stated earlier in October that active cases exist against at least 1,895 people. These individuals, including 94 media workers, are accused of cooperating with Israel or other hostile states. Police announced at least 21,000 arrests following the June 2025 war, while at least 50,000 people were detained during the January 2026 protests.
Death penalty rulings have increased. The United Nations reported that at least 19 people were hanged in espionage-related cases between June and December 2025. Iran Human Rights recorded 16 espionage defendants executed from January to September 2026. Amnesty International reported at least 34 executions linked to the January protests by October 13.
Saeid Golkar, an associate professor of political science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, argues the crackdown reflects both genuine counterintelligence worries and a wider effort to intimidate society. He pointed to the killing of senior figures, including former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on February 28 as proof of the threat's reality.
Former Mossad director David Barnea told a conference on October 22 that he approved the entry of dozens of agents before the 12-day war of June 2025. He said Israeli intelligence released footage of agents bearing a Mossad logo to trigger thousands of arrests of unconnected civilians. He claimed almost all of the agency's assets remained unidentified.
Negar Mortazavi, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, noted that Tehran has legitimate concerns about infiltration. However, she stressed there is a fundamental distinction between espionage and dissent. She said criticizing the government or reporting on its failures does not amount to espionage, yet authorities have blurred the two.
Golkar added that counterespionage has become a tool to protect the ruling establishment. He argued the Islamic republic has evolved into a security-dominated regime that treats even nonviolent dissent as a potential threat to its survival.
