Iranian authorities have arrested at least 38 people across the country on charges of collaborating with the Israeli occupation and sending information to the opposition channel “Iran International,” local media reported on Sunday, as the war for the sixteenth day.
In West Azerbaijan province, Fars News Agency reported that “20 people were arrested and detained by judicial order” after it was discovered that they were “sending details of military and security sites to the Zionist enemy.”.
The agency quoted the provincial prosecutor, Hossein Majidi, as saying that the arrests took place during raids on networks linked to the occupation in the province.
Widespread raids in Iran
According to local media, authorities have carried out widespread raids across Iran in recent days, arresting hundreds on suspicion of collaborating with Israel and the United States.
Tasnim news agency reported the arrest of at least 18 people for sending information to the London-based Iran International channel, which Tehran classifies as a “terrorist” channel.
The agency quoted the Ministry of Intelligence as saying that they had sent the channel “pictures of sites bombed by Israel and the United States,” in addition to other sites.
Digital isolation in Iran
Iran suffers from complete digital isolation from the outside world due to a total internet blackout since the beginning of the Middle East war.
To circumvent these restrictions, some Iranians have resorted to “Starlink” devices manufactured by the American company “SpaceX”, which connect to the internet via satellites.
Last January, Iran banned cooperation with “Iran International”, accusing it of being “affiliated with the Zionist entity”.
