Iran: Security Forces Foil Mossad-Linked Plots as Police Killed in Unrest

By Staff, Agencies

Iranian security and judicial authorities say they have dismantled several armed terror cells and arrested operatives linked to foreign intelligence services amid days of unrest that have left multiple law enforcement officers dead.

Officials describe the violence as foreign-backed riots exploiting public anger over rising living costs and currency depreciation.

In the western city of Borujerd, Public Prosecutor Goodarz Amraei announced the arrest of several ringleaders accused of organizing riots and attacking religious sites and public property. Judicial officials said the suspects were non-local individuals with long criminal records who had entered the city specifically to provoke violence.

The Lorestan Police Information Center said security forces neutralized a four-member armed cell in Borujerd that was preparing a false-flag killing operation intended to blame the state for civilian deaths. Authorities reported seizing firearms, ammunition, and equipment used to manufacture improvised explosive devices from the group’s hideout.

In another case, four suspects were arrested in Qazvin for planning complex attacks against military and government facilities. Meanwhile, security officials in Tehran announced the arrest of a Mossad operative who had been operating undercover among rioters.

According to officials, the suspect confessed to serving as a senior liaison, receiving operational instructions through social media platforms such as Instagram and Telegram from handlers based in Germany. His alleged tasks included recruiting young people for street violence and documenting unrest for use by foreign propaganda outlets.

Iranian authorities also reported countering a coordinated digital warfare campaign. In Tehran, 40 individuals were arrested for using artificial intelligence tools to create and spread fabricated images and videos portraying widespread chaos. Officials said the deepfakes and recycled footage from previous years were identified through intelligence operations and removed with judicial authorization.

At least four police officers were killed in separate incidents on Wednesday and Thursday. In Malard, west of Tehran, Officer Shahin Dehghan was stabbed to death while attempting to restore order during a riot. In the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, officer Mahmoud Haghighat was assassinated when gunmen linked to the “Jaish Al-Adl” terrorist group opened fire on his vehicle.

In the southwestern city of Lordegan, clashes escalated when rioters, some armed with military-grade hunting rifles, fired on police, killing two officers and wounding 30 others. The two officers, Staff Sergeant Hadi Azaraz and Staff Sergeant Moslem Mahdavi-Nasab, were laid to rest in a funeral procession on Thursday in Shahr-e Kord before their bodies were transferred to their hometowns.

Authorities said the deaths marked a sharp escalation beyond economic protest, describing the violence as a deliberate attempt to destabilize the country through armed insurrection. Tasnim News Agency reported that separatist Kurdish factions based in northern Iraq had shifted from logistical support to direct field operations inside Iran, with intelligence sources citing their involvement in the western provinces of Ilam and Kermanshah.

In Iran’s northeastern Khorasan Razavi province, five people were killed overnight when attackers stormed a police station in the city of Chenaran, according to provincial security officials. Deputy Governor Amirollah Shamaghdari said the assailants scaled the station’s walls during the attack. He added that 23 police officers and one protester had been injured in recent unrest across the province.

Shamaghdari said sensitive and military sites remain under strict protection and urged citizens to distinguish between peaceful protest and acts of violence or damage to public property. He described Mashhad as the most volatile city in the province on Wednesday, with additional unrest reported in Chenaran and Neyshabur. Several arrests were made in Mashhad, Neyshabur, and Sabzevar.

In Mashhad, officials said a city bus was set ablaze after its driver was forced off, while traffic signs were torn down and used to block roads. Authorities also reported an incident in which Iran’s flag was taken down in a public square, before being raised again on Thursday with the participation of local residents.

Iranian officials said the riots and armed attacks have been openly encouraged by American and “Israeli” figures. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced support for protesters, warning that Washington could attack Iran if what he described as “peaceful protesters” were harmed. Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also issued statements alluding to Mossad involvement and hinting at separatist plots targeting Sistan and Baluchestan province.

These remarks followed Trump’s recent statements seen by Iranian officials as approving potential “Israeli” attacks on Iran over its nuclear and missile programs. They also come after a US-“Israeli” assault earlier this year, described by Tehran as a 12-day act of state terrorism that killed more than a thousand civilians and targeted Iran’s civilian, military, and nuclear infrastructure.

Iranian officials have accused Western governments of hypocrisy, arguing that the economic pressures cited by protesters stem directly from unilateral US sanctions. They point to data showing that the sharp fall of the rial and rising living costs date back to the 2011–2012 sanctions targeting Iran’s central bank and oil exports.

While acknowledging the legitimacy of economic grievances raised through peaceful protest, Iranian authorities have stressed a clear distinction between lawful demonstrations and foreign-instigated violence. On Thursday, the Tehran prosecutor warned individuals and businesses against supporting calls for riots, saying legal cases had been opened against several brands, shops, and a small number of social media influencers.

According to the judiciary’s media center, incitement to disorder was accompanied by direct and indirect support from a limited number of commercial entities. Judicial authorities were instructed to monitor online activity and prosecute offenders. IRNA reported that multiple legal cases were opened against some brands, shops, and well-known online figures accused of indirectly backing the unrest.