Iranian authorities said Tuesday that «spies» linked to the CIA were among those detained in protests since September over the death in custody of a woman arrested for allegedly wearing the veil incorrectly.
The deputy commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Ali Fadavi, said that these suspects «are related to the intelligence and espionage services of the United States», without providing a specific number of detainees.
He also stressed that these people have been brought before the judicial authorities, before adding that «enemies» have been «planning plots» against Iran since the success of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, as reported by the Iranian news agency Mehr.
Iranian judiciary spokesman Masud Setayeshi said last week that 40 foreigners were among the thousands detained for their involvement in the protests, which Tehran blamed on Western countries — including the United States — seeking to destabilize the domestic situation.
During the day of Monday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard confirmed that more than 300 people have died since the beginning of the protests in what is the first official balance since the beginning of the mobilizations. The figure is lower than that provided by NGOs, which point to more than 400 dead due to repression by security forces.
