ALBAWABA- Iranian authorities have detained four foreign nationals in connection with the nationwide unrest that swept the country last month, state media reported on Monday, according to Reuters.
Police said the arrests were carried out during a raid on a suspected hideout, where four homemade sound grenades were allegedly found in one of the detainees’ bags. Officials did not disclose the suspects’ nationalities or specify formal charges.
The detentions come amid the aftermath of widespread anti-government protests that erupted in December 2025, initially driven by soaring inflation and economic hardship under international sanctions.
The demonstrations quickly expanded into broader calls for political reform and an end to clerical rule, becoming the deadliest unrest in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iranian authorities have responded with mass detentions and sweeping security operations, including arrests by plainclothes officers, while attributing the violence to “armed terrorists” and foreign-backed networks.
Officials have repeatedly blamed external actors for fueling the unrest, accusing Israel and the United States of seeking to destabilize the country through covert operations.
In recent weeks, Iranian security services have announced the dismantling of several alleged espionage and sabotage networks, including groups purportedly linked to Israel’s Mossad.
Authorities have also reported arrests of suspected foreign spies and militant cells allegedly entering Iran through its eastern borders. Senior officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, have claimed that Israeli intelligence sought to provoke large-scale bloodshed to draw the United States into direct military action against Iran.
The accusations risk deepening Iran’s international isolation, particularly as the UK and European Union weigh further punitive measures against Tehran, following the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.
