Iran Arrests Two Europeans: Intelligence Ministry Calls Experienced Agents Incitement To Social Chaos

Illustrated. (Wikimedia Commons / Sonia Sevilla)

JAKARTA - Iran arrested two European nationals and accused them of trying to destabilize the country, the Intelligence Ministry announced on Wednesday.

The ministry did not specify the nationalities of the two, but said they entered the country and attempted to approach the teachers' union with the aim of "stirring chaos and destabilizing society."

For months, teachers in Iran have been holding protests to demand authorities speed up the implementation of reforms, particularly the adjustment of salaries to experience and performance.

The ministry described the detainees as "two experienced agents" hired by the intelligence apparatus of European countries, reported The National News on May 11. However, the authorities had been after them since their arrival, with all of their ties to the 'Illegal Master League Council' documented.

Earlier, Sweden said on Friday that one of its citizens who was traveling as a tourist had been detained in Iran. It was not clear whether the case was linked to the Iranian Intelligence Ministry's announcement.

It is known that Iran has detained dozens of teachers since the protests began. In April, teachers' union member Rasoul Bodaghi was sentenced to five years in prison for his participation in demonstrations, a human rights group said.

Meanwhile, Iran's economy has been reeling under punitive sanctions reimposed by the United States in 2018, with civil servants among the hardest hit.