Wave of arrests in Iran. The services took over hundreds of Starlinks “from the enemy”

Iranian media reported on Tuesday the detention of several dozen people, including 10 foreigners, on charges of cooperation with the US and Israel. The intelligence ministry said it had confiscated “hundreds of Starlink satellite internet system terminals “handed over by the enemy.”

“10 mercenaries and traitors have been identified and arrested,” the ISNA news agency reported in the morning, citing the intelligence department of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Khorasan-e Razawi province in northeastern Iran.

According to the IRGC, four of those arrested were allegedly collecting information on “sensitive sites and economic infrastructure” and the others were linked to a “monarchist terrorist group.”

According to Iran's Tasnim news agency, 55 people were detained in the southern province of Hormozgan.

The statement from the Ministry of Intelligence noted that Using Starlinks in times of war is subject to the “supreme penalty”. The devices allow you to bypass the almost complete information blockade introduced by the authorities in the country. There have already been reports of opposition groups sending Starlinks to Iran.

The fight to bypass the information block is ongoing

Iranian police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan announced on Sunday that at least 500 people have been arrested since the beginning of the war and are accused of passing information to opponents. He also warned that the popular Chaharshanbe Suri holiday, celebrated on Tuesday, could be exploited by “enemies.”

As Reuters reminds, Chaharshanbe Suri (Persian: Scarlet Wednesday) is an ancient Zoroastrian holiday, celebrated on the eve of the last Wednesday of the Iranian calendar. Traditions associated with this day include, among others: lighting fireworks and having fun around bonfires.

Airstrikes by Israeli and US forces on Iran have been ongoing since February 28. Tehran responds by attacking Israel and several Persian Gulf countries, hitting both American bases and civilian facilities located there. (PAP)

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