In Jolfa county, in northwestern Iran, four people are in custody and the prosecutor says the network they belonged to has been “completely dismantled.”
The Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s office announced the arrests on April 19. It accuses the four of working with networks linked to the United States and Israel. Local security services picked them out, the statement said, through surveillance and intelligence monitoring.
Two suspects are described in some detail. One is a local resident accused of passing sensitive information to what the authorities call hostile satellite-linked networks. The other is accused of intelligence work and of using unauthorized international internet platforms to slip past domestic monitoring. The statement did not say what the information was or when any of it happened.
Two foreigners and the Starlink gear
Officials said they also detained two foreign nationals. They are accused of smuggling Starlink satellite internet equipment into Iran, and the authorities claim it was used for covert communications and intelligence gathering. The statement did not name the two or give their nationalities.
Iran has already voiced concern about satellite internet, arguing that it can be used to get around state controls on communications. The arrests come at a time of high regional tension, and Iranian authorities often announce cases of alleged intelligence cooperation with foreign actors in such periods.
