logo
Iran arrests 24 for spying for Israel, tarnishing country's image

Iran arrests 24 for spying for Israel, tarnishing country's image

TEHRAN: Iranian police announced the arrest on Thursday of 24 people accused of spying for Israel and of seeking to tarnish the country's image, according to a statement carried by Tasnim news agency.
Iran media say police arrest two suspects linked to Israel's spy agency
'Twenty-four individuals who were spying for the Zionist enemy offline and online, and who were… trying to disturb public opinion, and to tarnish and destroy the image of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, were arrested,' said police commander for west Tehran Kiumars Azizi.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Europe pushes diplomatic solution to Iran-Israel war in Geneva
Europe pushes diplomatic solution to Iran-Israel war in Geneva

Express Tribune

timean hour ago

  • Express Tribune

Europe pushes diplomatic solution to Iran-Israel war in Geneva

Mourners attend a funeral for those killed in Israeli strikes on Iran, in Qazvin, Iran, June 19, 2025. PHOTO:REUTERS Listen to article European powers hoped to offer a "diplomatic solution" as they met with Iran in Geneva on Friday, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, as Israel again came under Iranian missile fire. The meeting, which is expected to focus on Iran's nuclear programme, comes as US President Donald Trump mulls the prospect of entering the war between the two foes. Israel, saying Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, launched a massive wave of strikes a week ago, triggering an immediate retaliation from Tehran. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot will meet his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Geneva "to make a complete diplomatic and technical offer for negotiations", Macron told reporters. France and its allies Germany and Britain were "putting a diplomatic solution on the table", he added. On the ground, Israel's military said it struck dozens of targets in Tehran overnight, including what it called a centre for the "research and development of Iran's nuclear weapons project". In Israel, sirens sounded in the afternoon after missiles were launched from Iran for the second time on Friday, and rescuers reported two injured, including a 16-year-old in serious condition. A military official said that "approximately 20 missiles were launched towards Israel" in the latest salvo. On Iranian state TV, a news anchor described footage of "Iranian missiles arriving" in the sky over Israel, as the channel broadcast the footage with military music playing in the background. Trump has said he would decide "within the next two weeks" whether to involve the United States in the fighting. Israel, the United States and other Western powers accuse Iran of seeking an atomic weapon, a charge that it denies. Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy said "a window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution", while agreeing with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that "Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon". France's foreign ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine said that "military solutions are not long-term solutions" to ensure Iran respects its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran's Araghchi, however, rejected any prospect of talks with the United States so long as Israel continues its attacks. Addressing the UN Human Rights Council on Friday, Araghchi said Israel's attacks were a "betrayal" of diplomatic efforts to reach a nuclear deal between Tehran and Washington. "We were attacked in the midst of an ongoing diplomatic process," he said. In an interview with German publication Bild, Israel's top diplomat Gideon Saar said he did not "particularly" believe in diplomacy with Iran. "All diplomatic efforts so far have failed," said Saar, whose country had supported Trump's 2018 decision to abandon a previous nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers. The Iranians, according to Saar, have used negotiations "to gain time while making progress (in their nuclear programme), and I don't think they've changed their nature". The UN Security Council is also due to convene on Friday for a second session on the conflict, which was requested by Iran with support from Russia, China and Pakistan, a diplomat told AFP on Wednesday. The escalating confrontation is quickly reaching "the point of no return", Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Friday, saying "this madness must end as soon as possible". UN chief Antonio Guterres meanwhile pleaded with all sides to "give peace a chance". The International Atomic Energy Agency said that while Iran is the only country without nuclear weapons to enrich uranium to 60 percent, there was no evidence it had all the components to make a functioning nuclear warhead. "So, saying how long it would take for them, it would be pure speculation because we do not know whether there was somebody... secretly pursuing these activities," the agency's chief Rafael Grossi told CNN. "We haven't seen that and we have to say it." White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran could produce an atomic bomb in "a couple of weeks". "If there's a chance for diplomacy the president's always going to grab it, but he's not afraid to use strength as well," Leavitt said. Any US involvement in Israel's campaign would be expected to involve the bombing of a crucial underground nuclear facility in Fordo, using powerful bunker-busting bombs that no other country possesses. In Iran, people fleeing Israel's attacks described frightening scenes and difficult living conditions, including food shortages and limited internet access. Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said authorities had restricted internet access to avoid "problems" like cyberattacks. Protests broke out in Tehran and other cities after Friday prayers, with demonstrators chanting slogans in support of their leaders, state television showed. "I will sacrifice my life for my leader," read a protester's banner, a reference to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Switzerland announced Friday the temporary closure of its embassy in Tehran, adding that it would continue to fulfil its role representing US interests in Iran, while the United Kingdom announced it was withdrawing its embassy staff. The death toll in Israel from Iranian missile strikes since June 13 was 25 people, according to authorities. Iran said on Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians.

Guterres urges ‘give peace a chance' in Israel-Iran conflict
Guterres urges ‘give peace a chance' in Israel-Iran conflict

Business Recorder

time2 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

Guterres urges ‘give peace a chance' in Israel-Iran conflict

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that expansion of the Israel-Iran conflict could ignite a fire no one can control and called on parties to conflict and potential parties to the conflict to 'give peace a chance.' Israel slams UN rights council for giving floor to Iran ahead of nuclear talks Guteres made the remarks to the United Nations Security Council as European foreign ministers met their Iranian counterpart on Friday hoping to test Tehran's readiness to negotiate a new nuclear deal despite there being scant prospect of Israel ceasing its attacks soon.

Wall Street edges up with Trump's Middle East decision in focus
Wall Street edges up with Trump's Middle East decision in focus

Business Recorder

time2 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

Wall Street edges up with Trump's Middle East decision in focus

Wall Street's main indexes nudged higher on Friday, tracking strength in global stocks after President Donald Trump held off from making an immediate decision on U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran war. Trump will take a call in the next two weeks, the White House said on Thursday, as hostilities between the two Middle Eastern countries approached their second week. Markets have been on edge as Trump has kept the world guessing on his plans - veering from proposing a swift diplomatic solution to suggesting the U.S. might join the fight as Israel aims to suppress Tehran's ability to build nuclear weapons. A senior Iranian official told Reuters Tehran was ready to discuss limitations on its uranium enrichment, but zero enrichment will be rejected 'especially now under Israel's strikes'. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has arrived in Geneva to meet European counterparts, who are hoping to establish a path back to diplomacy. 'Any news flow that's going to lean in the direction of de-escalation is going to be a market positive and we're seeing that to a certain extent here,' said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth. Concerns about price pressures in the U.S. were also in focus after Federal Reserve policymakers on Wednesday warned inflation could pick up pace over the summer as the economic effects of Trump's steep import tariffs kick in. They kept interest rates unchanged. Wall St indexes rise ahead of Fed's rate verdict On Friday, Fed governor Chris Waller said the central bank should consider cutting interest rates at its next meeting given recent tame inflation data and because any price shock from tariffs will be short-lived. At 10:06 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 123.38 points, or 0.29%, to 42,295.04, the S&P 500 gained 13.34 points, or 0.22%, to 5,994.21 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 38.74 points, or 0.20%, to 19,585.01. Nine of the 11 major S&P 500 sub-sectors rose. Real estate led sector gains with a 0.7% rise. On the flip side, healthcare stocks lost 0.5%. All three main indexes are set for weekly gains. Investors are also bracing for any potential spike in volatility from Friday's 'triple witching' - the simultaneous expiration of single stock options, stock index futures, and stock index options contracts that happens once a quarter. Among megacap stocks, Apple advanced 1.3%. Kroger rose 6.4% after the grocery chain increased its annual identical sales forecast. Mondelez International gained 2.4% after brokerage Wells Fargo upgraded the Cadbury parent to 'overweight' from 'equal-weight'. Accenture fell 7.2% after the IT services provider said new bookings decreased in the third quarter. Wall Street's strong gains last month, primarily driven by a softening in Trump's trade stance and strength in corporate earnings, had pushed the benchmark S&P 500 index close to its record peaks before the ongoing conflict in the Middle East made investors risk-averse. The S&P 500 index now remains 2.4% below its record level, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq is 2.8% lower. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 2.16-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.45-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P 500 posted 12 new 52-week highs and 2 new lows while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 55 new highs and 31 new lows.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store