Paranoia Deepens in Iran as Mossad Spy Fears Trigger Mass Arrests and Surveillance Crackdown

Iran’s leadership is on edge — and it’s showing.

In the days since Israel launched an unprecedented wave of strikes inside Iran, authorities in Tehran have arrested dozens of people, accusing them of spying for Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency. The growing crackdown reflects a deepening paranoia within the Islamic Republic, as its leaders reel from the realization that Israeli agents may have infiltrated the country from within — and done so with alarming precision.

Spy Fever Grips Tehran

Since Friday, at least 28 people in the capital have been detained, and across the country, many more have been arrested for allegedly sharing online content seen as “supporting the Zionist regime.” In Isfahan, where Israel claims to have targeted a nuclear site, 60 people were detained for spreading “psychological insecurity,” according to Iranian officials.

In a chilling message to any would-be collaborators, Iran on Monday executed a man previously convicted of spying for Israel — a case dating back two years. The timing wasn’t subtle.

Iran Warns Public: Watch for ‘Sunglasses at Night’

The government is now calling on citizens to be part of the surveillance machine. Posters from state-affiliated outlets and Iran’s Intelligence Ministry urge Iranians to report suspicious behavior — like people wearing masks, hats, or sunglasses even at night, those receiving frequent package deliveries, or homes with curtains drawn during the day.

Another warning from authorities advises the public to be alert to strangers filming in military or industrial areas, pickup trucks carrying large bags, and even “unusual sounds like screaming or banging” from inside homes.

One poster urged landlords to notify police immediately if they’ve recently rented out a property. Even journalists say they’re banned from taking photos on the street, as the regime tightens control over public activity.

The Mossad Operation That Shook Iran

The paranoia isn’t unfounded. Israeli officials claim Mossad operatives smuggled weapons into Iran ahead of last Friday’s strikes, using them to disable air defenses and attack key military sites — from missile launchers near Tehran to surface-to-air systems.

By removing those defenses, Israel’s Air Force was able to launch a coordinated aerial assault involving over 100 strikes and more than 200 aircraft. Intelligence gathered on the ground reportedly allowed Israeli forces to precisely target senior commanders and scientists inside Iran.

Iranian authorities now say they’ve recovered weapons and equipment used in the Israeli operation — including suicide drones, launchers, drone manufacturing tools, and over 200 kilograms of explosives — in the city of Rey, just outside Tehran.

A video released by Fars News Agency, a state-affiliated outlet, showed a warehouse filled with drone parts and other military gear — the alleged remnants of Mossad’s covert sabotage campaign.

Crackdown Intensifies, Regime Promises Harsh Punishment

As the regime scrambles to regain control, senior Iranian officials are signaling a hardline response. Iran’s police chief, Ahmad-Reza Radan, released a video statement urging “traitors” to turn themselves in. Those who cooperate, he said, might be shown leniency — but those caught would “be taught a lesson.”

Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, head of Iran’s judiciary, echoed that message, calling for swift prosecution and punishment of anyone linked to Israel during what he described as a “war-like” period.

Meanwhile, the Basij paramilitary forces, previously used to crush domestic protests, have been redeployed to patrol streets at night and increase surveillance.

A Nervous Regime, A Nation on Edge

Behind the slogans and surveillance posters is a regime that appears shaken — not just by the Israeli strikes, but by its own vulnerability. Iran’s leaders are already facing internal unrest after years of economic hardship and anti-regime protests, most recently sparked by the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman detained by the morality police.

Now, with the specter of Israeli infiltration and public dissent looming at the same time, Iran’s leadership is responding the only way it knows how: with fear, force, and a growing reliance on its citizens to police one another.