A Police officer stands guard as demonstrators wave flags and cheer during a gathering to honor Iran’s military forces, following the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, on June 24, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. Credit – Majid Saeedi—Getty Images

Iran has executed three men convicted of spying for Israel and detained hundreds more civilians in a widening crackdown that rights groups say reflects growing paranoia within the Islamic Republic’s leadership following a deadly exchange of strikes with Israel.

The executions, carried out by hanging in the northwestern city of Urmia, targeted Edris Ali, Azad Shojaei, and Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul—ethnic Kurds accused of aiding the Israeli Mossad in the 2020 assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a prominent nuclear scientist. Their names had previously appeared on a list published by Iran Human Rights (IHR), an Oslo-based advocacy group, which warned that at least ten men faced imminent execution on similar charges.

The timing of the executions appears intended less to inflame anti-Israel sentiment than to project strength internally, a source familiar with the matter told TIME, describing it as a signal of resolve by a government increasingly consumed with fears of infiltration.

The recent crackdown has also renewed international concern over the fate of Ahmadreza Djalali, a Swedish-Iranian doctor and academic who has spent more than seven years on death row. IHR reported this week that Djalali was moved from Tehran’s Evin Prison to an undisclosed location shortly after an Israeli strike on the facility. “There is an imminent risk that his death sentence will be carried out at any moment,” the group warned.

Since the outbreak of open hostilities with Israel on June 13, Iranian authorities have arrested more than 700 people on charges related to alleged collaboration with Israel, according to rights monitors. This week’s executions bring to six the number of Iranians put to death for espionage since the start of the conflict.

Read more: Why Trump Must Now Negotiate With Iran

Though Iran’s government has presented these arrests and executions as evidence of a crackdown on foreign meddling, public sentiment appears to be shifting in a more complex direction. A source in Iran, speaking on condition of anonymity, told TIME that for the first time in decades, “widespread hatred” toward Israel is growing among ordinary Iranians—fueled not by government propaganda, but by firsthand experience of violence.

“Israel was very willing to kill six Iranian civilians for their [military] target, and that’s something which has really made a lot of Iranians angry,” the source said. “Iranians feel very critical of their own government because it wasn’t able to defend them… and at the same time, they’re extremely resentful, verging on hatred, toward the Israeli government because of all the civilian deaths.”

The Iranian government has become increasingly paranoid about intelligence leaks since its almost two-week long conflict with Israel, which began with Israeli attacks on key military and nuclear targets on June 13.

The first strikes resulted in the deaths of multiple highly ranked military officials and top scientists working on Tehran’s nuclear program.

Read more: Where the U.S. Could Face More Retaliation From Iran

Israel has previously conducted covert operations and targeted strikes within Iran’s borders, including the high-profile assassination of Hamas political leader Ismael Haniyeh in 2024.

However, the scale and visibility of the latest campaign have been unprecedented. During nearly two weeks of conflict, Israeli missile strikes killed at least 974 Iranians—including 387 civilians and 268 military personnel—according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Israel reported 28 deaths from Iranian missile retaliation.

Though a cease-fire is now in place, the fallout from the confrontation continues to unfold. Iranian authorities remain focused on rooting out suspected espionage networks, while the public contends with a shifting landscape of fear, anger, and mistrust—directed both at their own government and at Israel.

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Iran has ramped up its crackdown on suspected Israeli spies following a series of unprecedented Israeli strikes and revelations of covert Mossad operations inside the Islamic Republic. The Iranian government’s growing paranoia has led to dozens of arrests, public warnings, and an appeal for citizens to report suspicious behaviour — including people wearing “masks, hats, and sunglasses, even at night.”

Dozens Iranians Arrested on Espionage Charges Since Israeli airstrikes began last Friday, Iranian authorities have detained 28 individuals in Tehran accused of spying for Israel, CNN report stated.

On Monday, a man arrested two years ago on similar charges was executed, sending a stark warning to potential collaborators. This wave of arrests extends nationwide, with at least 60 people detained in Isfahan, a city where Israel reportedly targeted a nuclear facility.

The Iranian regime has also cracked down on those sharing content online deemed sympathetic to Israel, accusing them of undermining the “psychological security of society.”

These sweeping measures mirrored Tehran’s heightened anxiety about internal security following Israel’s Mossad’s covert weapon smuggling and sabotage operations.

‘Masks, Hats, and Sunglasses, Even at Night’ The Iranian Intelligence Ministry has issued detailed guidance urging citizens to be vigilant and report suspicious behaviour. A statement from the ministry warns against strangers “wearing masks or goggles, driving pickup trucks and carrying large bags, or filming around military, industrial, or residential areas.”

State-affiliated media have amplified these warnings.

Nour News, closely linked to Iran’s security apparatus, published a poster advising the public to be suspicious of individuals who wear “masks, hats, and sunglasses, even at night” and those receiving “frequent package deliveries by courier.”

The poster also encourages reporting “unusual sounds from inside the house, such as screaming, the sound of metal equipment, continuous banging” and “houses with curtains drawn even during the day”, reported CNN.

Another Iran government poster, attributed to the police, instructs landlords who have recently rented out properties to notify authorities immediately, further tightening surveillance, CNN report adds.

Iran’s Heightened Surveillance Amid Domestic Unrest Iran’s crackdown coincides with increased restrictions on journalists, who report being banned from taking photographs in public spaces, CNN reports.

The Basij, a paramilitary wing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard known for suppressing anti-government protests, has been deployed on night patrols to bolster “surveillance” efforts following the Mossad infiltration revelations.

Iran’s leadership, already isolated and shaken by widespread protests triggered by the death of a young woman in morality police custody, now faces mounting pressure to control internal dissent while countering perceived external threats.

“The Intelligence Ministry urges vigilance against strangers wearing masks or goggles and suspicious activity near sensitive sites,” Iran state media reported.

Iran on Edge: Mossad Operations in Tehran – What we Know Mossad, Israel’s premier intelligence agency, is renowned for its covert operations and espionage activities worldwide. Established in 1949, Mossad specialises in foreign intelligence gathering, counterterrorism, and secret missions vital to Israel’s national security.

Its notable operations include capturing Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann and targeting threats such as Palestinian militants and Iran’s nuclear programme. Operating with high secrecy, Mossad reports directly to the Israeli Prime Minister.

In recent years, Mossad has conducted sophisticated covert operations inside Iran aimed at undermining its military and nuclear capabilities. During the June 2025 campaign known as Operation Rising Lion, Mossad agents infiltrated central Iran, smuggling precision-guided weapons and establishing a drone base near Tehran, according to reports.

This enabled the Israeli Air Force to launch coordinated airstrikes that disabled Iranian air defences and targeted nuclear and military sites, killing key generals and scientists.

Smoke rises from an oil storage facility after it appeared to have been struck by an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, on Monday. – Vahid Salemi/AP

Iran has arrested dozens of people on suspicion of spying as fears grow in the Islamic Republic over the extent of its infiltration by Israel’s Mossad intelligence service.

Since Israeli strikes began Friday, 28 people in the capital have been arrested and accused of spying for Israel, while on Monday, one man arrested on that charge two years ago was hanged in what appeared to be a message to any would-be collaborator.

The Iranian regime has also arrested scores of people across the country for allegedly sharing articles online “in support of the Zionist regime” – accusing them of disrupting the “psychological security of society” – including 60 people in Isfahan, where Israel claims to have targeted a nuclear site.

A special unit in the Tehran’s prosecutor’s office was set up to monitor news outlets and people with a significant social media following. The crackdown intensified on Tuesday after some activists were arrested and others were given warnings.

Even ISNA, a state-affiliated news outlet, received a warning for failing to comply with regulations, according to Fars News Agency, which didn’t specify the nature of the violations.

The wave of arrests comes as Tehran reels from the revelation that Mossad operatives smuggled weapons into Iran before Israel’s unprecedented attack and used them to target the country from within.

So heightened have Iranian suspicions become since then that its Intelligence Ministry has been asking the public to report suspicious activity and issuing guidance on how to spot collaborators.

One statement from the ministry urges people to be wary of strangers wearing masks or goggles, driving pickup trucks and carrying large bags or filming around military, industrial, or residential areas.

Few pedestrians walk along the historic Grand Bazaar as shops remain shuttered, in Tehran, Iran, on Monday. – Vahid Salemi/AP

Elsewhere, a poster published by the state-affiliated Nour News – which is close to Iran’s security apparatus – singled out for suspicion people who wear “masks, hats, and sunglasses, even at night” and those who receive “frequent package deliveries by courier.”

The poster asks people to report “unusual sounds from inside the house, such as screaming, the sound of metal equipment, continuous banging” and “houses with curtains drawn even during the day.”

Another poster, attributed to the police and published on state media, advised landlords who had recently rented their homes to notify the police immediately.

Meanwhile, journalists in Iran have told CNN they are prohibited from taking pictures on the street.

The fears of Israeli penetration only amplify the anxieties felt by the increasingly isolated leadership of the Islamic Republic, which has been rocked in recent years by anti-regime protests sparked by the death of a young woman in the custody of the country’s so-called morality police.

The same force used to crack down on those protests, the Basij (a paramilitary wing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard) has been deployed in night patrols to increase “surveillance” in the wake of the Israeli infiltration, according to Iran’s state-controlled media.

In a video statement Monday, Iran’s chief of police Ahmad-Reza Radan urged “traitors” to come forward, suggesting those who realized they had been “deceived by the enemy” might receive more lenient treatment and be “honored” by Iran – while those who were caught would be “taught a lesson that the Zionist enemy is being given now.”

The head of Iran’s judiciary Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i called for “swift” punishment of those accused of collaborating with Israel.

“Let’s say we have apprehended someone who is collaborating with (Israel), this matter under these war-like conditions … must be prosecuted swiftly and punished swiftly,” he said.

The Iranian regime’s rising paranoia comes as more details emerge of the Mossad operation that smuggled weapons into Iran ahead of the first strikes on Friday.

According to Israeli officials, operatives established a base for launching explosive drones inside Iran, then used those drones to target missile launchers near Tehran.

Precision weapons were also smuggled in, they say, and used to target surface-to-air missile systems, clearing the way for Israel’s Air Force to carry out more than 100 strikes with upward of 200 aircraft in the early hours of Friday local time.

Intelligence gathered by the Mossad in Iran also reportedly gave Israel’s Air Force the ability to target senior Iranian commanders and scientists.

Since then, according to Iranian media outlets, the government has seized equipment allegedly used during the Israeli operation – including 200 kilograms of explosives, several suicide drones, launchers and equipment used to manufacture the drones – in the city of Rey in Tehran province.

A video published by the state-affiliated Fars News Agency showed a building with drone parts and other equipment.

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A recent Israeli strike on a building in Tehran. Photo: majid asgaripour/Reuters

As soon as U.S. and Israeli bombs stopped raining down on Iran, the country’s theocratic leaders and the security forces emerged from their bunkers and began waging a new campaign—this time against their own people, targeting alleged spies, dissidents and opposition figures.

Checkpoints have sprung up across Tehran as the authorities seek to reassert control and hunt people they suspect helped Israel’s attacks on air defenses, nuclear sites, and top officers and atomic scientists in a 12-day air war that exposed the state’s inability to defend itself.