Iran Reports Mossad Cell Captured in Assassination Plot

At least three were detained, details still emerging

At least three people were arrested as Mossad-linked agents in Iran, according to the Iranian judiciary. The arrests took place in April, and the nationality of the three was undisclosed.

Iranian officials say the three were involved in a plot in Sistan-Baluchistan Province, and that they intended to assassinate nuclear scientists inside Iran.

A number of Iranian scientists and engineers have been assassinated recently, and Iran is keen to blame Israel. Israel has not attempted to deny these plots, and rather warned the public to watch out for Iranian retaliation abroad against Israeli interests.

Iran’s media reports on the Mossad cell don’t offer a lot of details, so it’s hard to say if this was a huge assassination cell that would’ve been involved in many plots, or is just one small group, potentially one of many.

Recent assassinations have not just targeted nuclear scientists, but also aerospace engineers, and geologists involved in other military-significant enterprises within Iran. Most of the assassinations lately have involved poisoning.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.