Local media say Iranian authorities detained dozens accused of providing sensitive information to Israel as Israeli and U.S. jets continue strikes. Tasnim reported 20 arrests in the northwest and 10 in the northeast, while the Student News Network cited three detentions in Lorestan. An IRGC intelligence branch accused Israel and the U.S. of activating 'mercenaries and spies,' and a Reuters source said informant tip-offs have led to a new phase of checkpoint targeting.
Dozens Arrested in Iran Accused of Passing Intelligence to Israel as Strikes Continue
People on motorcycles ride past a large billboard with images of Iranian missiles, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 15, 2026. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani
Dozens of people accused of sharing sensitive information with Israel have been detained across several regions of Iran, local media reported on Sunday, even as Israeli and U.S. aircraft strike new targets inside the country.
In northwestern Iran, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency said the provincial prosecutor's office arrested 20 people on Sunday, accusing them of sending location details of Iranian military and security assets to Israeli forces. In the northeast — an area largely spared by recent air strikes — Tasnim reported that 10 people were detained, some accused of collecting information on sensitive sites and economic infrastructure.
The Student News Network reported that three people were detained in Lorestan province in western Iran for what authorities described as 'seeking to disturb public opinion (...) and burn mourning symbols.'
'As the Zionist enemy (Israel) and the U.S. attempt to invade Iran, they simultaneously activate mercenaries and spies to carry out riots as the next step,' a provincial branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' intelligence organisation told Tasnim.
A source briefed on Israel's military strategy told Reuters this week that Israeli forces have begun targeting security checkpoints on the basis of tip-offs from informants on the ground — a development described as a new phase in the campaign. Israeli and U.S. strikes have continued to hit fresh targets inside Iran.
In January, weeks before the current round of strikes, widespread anti-government protests swept Iran and were met with a lethal crackdown that authorities later described as the deadliest in the Islamic Republic's history. Iranian officials have blamed Israel and the U.S. for fomenting what they called 'violent riots' aimed at toppling the clerical establishment.
Reporting: Dubai Newsroom; Editing: William Mallard, Aidan Lewis. Reuters reported the arrests and provided the sourcing for military targeting and strategy.
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