JAKARTA - Intelligence officers managed to catch 10 spies from the intelligence services of regional countries allied with the West, Iran's Intelligence Ministry said.
In a statement, the Intelligence Ministry said intelligence services from unnamed regional countries aimed at gathering information and espionage from sensitive locations in Iran, taking advantage of Iranian citizens living and traveling to these countries.
"A precautionary measure was taken against the relevant intelligence services," the ministry quoted The Jerusalem Post as saying Oct. 13.
The announcement comes amid ongoing tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan, with Tehran saying it allowed Israeli forces to operate along its border with Iran. Azerbaijan denies allegations that Israel's operations against Iran were carried out from its territory.
It is not clear whether one of the "regional countries" named by the Intelligence Ministry is Azerbaijan.
Bushehr province, where the alleged spies were arrested, is home to a nuclear power plant. In June, the power plant experienced an emergency blackout.
The IAEA reported that a technical defect caused the power plant to be temporarily shut down and cut off from the national power grid, according to Iran's Fars News Agency.
Last month, Iran's Intelligence Ministry announced it had killed the leader of a group it claimed was supported and guided by the intelligence services of countries hostile to Iran.
The group is suspected of planning to attack sensitive and vital sites in Iran, according to Iranian media. All members of the group were arrested by Iranian intelligence forces.
The Intelligence Ministry did not specify which enemy countries supported the group, but Iran's state broadcaster IRIB broadcast a documentary after the news was announced, referring to a meeting of US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, insinuating the two countries were behind the group.
The documentary also appears to satirize the group being armed in Azerbaijan, showing photos of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, while claiming they were armed in "one of the neighboring countries".
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