Iran’s intelligence ministry has arrested a foreign national it said was conducting espionage on behalf of the United States and Israel, and acting as a proxy for two Gulf countries, state media cited the ministry as saying on Tuesday.
The ministry also said it had arrested 30 spies, internal mercenaries, and operational agents of Israel and the US over the past few days.
Iran regularly claims to arrest or execute spies working for Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad.
According to the Iranian judiciary media outlet, Mizan, Esmaeilipour was guilty of “the transfer of classified documents and information.”
While it is unknown if how many Israeli spies Iran has actually caught, the Mossad has affirmed that it is operating on the ground in Iran.
At the outbreak of the protests in the Islamic Republic late last year, the Mossad released a message confirming it was there, physically.
“We are with you,” the Mossad told protesters. “Not only from a distance and verbally. We are with you in the field.”
“In addition, the Mossad has asked Iranians to take pictures of explosions and strikes within Iran to provide it with intelligence regarding the results of Israeli airstrikes.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.