Iranian authorities on Wednesday announced a broad crackdown targeting what they described as a network of “separatist terror groups” allegedly linked to Israeli and U.S. intelligence services, with arrests spanning multiple provinces and involving dozens of suspects.

The country’s Intelligence Ministry said security forces detained at least 35 individuals accused of involvement in terrorism, separatism and arms smuggling, according to Tasnim News Agency. Officials claimed the suspects were tied to “American-Zionist enemy services,” including Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad.

Among those arrested was an individual identified as the founder and leader of what authorities claimed was a “Zionist-associated terror group” seeking to break away from Khuzestan Province, a strategically important and oil-rich region in southwestern Iran. The suspect was apprehended in Isfahan Province, according to the semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency.

Iranian officials alleged that the group was behind a series of attacks in Khuzestan, including assassinations of intelligence officers and members of the Basij paramilitary, which operates under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Authorities said additional members of the network had been killed or captured in recent weeks, with 11 arrests and five deaths reported over the past two months.

The crackdown extended beyond Khuzestan, with authorities reporting the dismantling of multiple additional cells. In Hormozgan, Hamedan and Kerman provinces, officials said they arrested a total of 20 individuals allegedly tied to what they described as a “Zionist regime media headquarters,” accusing them of attempting to influence public opinion and recruit collaborators.

Security forces also said they uncovered and detained a three-member cell in Gilan Province linked to prior explosive operations, as well as a four-member cell in Kerman Province, where homemade bombs, bomb-making materials and a handgun were seized. Additional arrests were reported in Hamedan and Hormozgan.

Separately, Iranian authorities said they intercepted two arms smuggling networks attempting to transport weapons from Iraq’s Kurdistan region into Iran. Four individuals were arrested in connection with those operations, and a total of 42 weapons were seized, including 30 pistols allegedly destined for distribution in Khuzestan and another cache intended for Kermanshah Province.

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