Iranian authorities have said eight individuals associated with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have been arrested in the country. The alleged US spies were detained during the fuel price protests in Iran. The arrested people received CIA-funded training in various countries under the cover of becoming citizen-journalists, Iran's Intelligence Ministry said.
The alleged spies were "trying to gather information from recent riots and transmit them abroad," official news agency IRNA said, citing senior Iranian intelligence officials. Six of them were arrested during the street riots, the agency said. Iran has witnessed in recent days paralysing popular protests over fuel price hike. and petrol rationing.
Iran sentenced alleged US spies to death in July
Iran said in July this year that it captured 17 US spies and sentenced some of them to death. All 17 of them were Iranians and were employed in "sensitive centres" in military and nuclear facilities, Iranian authorities had said. "Sentences for these spies have been issued, some of whom are to be put to death as 'corruptors on earth' [a charge punishable by death under Islamic rules in Iran]," the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported, citing the head of the anti-espionage department.
Iran had claimed that some of these spies had fallen into a visa trap laid out by the US, BBC reported. "Some were approached when they were applying for a visa, while others had visas from before and were pressured by the CIA in order to renew them," the report said.
What is Iran fuel protest?
In an unprecedented show of defiance against the government, Iranians trooped out into the streets decrying the rise in fuel prices. Though demonstrations were peaceful in the beginning, soon riots ensued with banks and other institutions bearing the brunt. Iran has not released the number of protesters who were killed during the protests, It has also been reported that security officials have also been killed in clashes.
According to a report by Turkey's Anadolu news agency, at least 100 banks and dozens of shops were torched during the protests. More than 1,000 protesters have been arrested, the agency said.
Iran says it needs to charge fuels higher as it has to raise extra money for giving cash handouts to the poor. Iran, which has been at loggerheads with the US over the nuclear policy, is under strict sanctions by Washington. Massive protests broke out across Iran on November 15 after the government raised prices by at least 50 percent and imposed petrol rationing.
