Four US-Israeli-backed sabotage networks dismantled in southern Iran: Intelligence Ministry
Iran’s Intelligence Ministry says it has arrested 31 people belonging to four organized US-Israeli-backed networks linked to efforts to foment unrest and carry out acts of sabotage in Sirjan county, in southern Kerman province.
In a statement on Saturday, the ministry said its intelligence officers in Kerman identified and dismantled the networks following information provided by the public and intelligence monitoring.
The ministry said the suspects were organized into networks using “attractive names” to lure teenagers and young people and had specific duties and plans for actively participating in nationwide calls for unrest.
The statement said the groups also prepared large quantities of Molotov cocktails and equipment to damage urban surveillance cameras in preparation for street unrest and acts of sabotage.
The ministry further said the groups were involved in extensive acts of violence and destruction during the foreign-backed “coup” in January, including setting fire to a governor’s office, damaging banks and government buildings, destroying public and private property and urban surveillance cameras, and attacking a police facility in an attempt to seize weapons.
Peaceful protests began across Iran in late December 2025 over financial grievances, largely linked to the impact of unilateral US sanctions.
After the government intervened and President Masoud Pezeshkian held direct talks with trade guilds, tensions eased and relative calm returned by early January.
However, the situation escalated again on January 8 and 9 amid overt foreign interference, including statements by US President Donald Trump.
According to Iran’s Judiciary Media Center, the violence on January 8 and 9 was part of a US-Israeli-backed “coup attempt” that resulted in widespread damage across the country and the martyrdom of thousands of civilians and security personnel.
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Iran dismantles 4 US-Israeli-backed sabotage networks in Kerman province
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