Araghchi says bomb plot near his residence was foiled during Israel war

He is accused of revealing the identity of an Iranian sailor on an oil tanker who allegedly aided Israel, disclosing Israeli military strike plans and commando missions, providing drone flight paths from Azerbaijan into Iran, and confirming that Israel’s Nevatim Air Base was hit during Iran’s April missile barrage last year.

The unnamed suspect was arrested earlier in July, and the Attorney General's Office requested that his detention be extended until the end of the proceedings.

He moved to Israel in 1999 and according to court documents, rekindled ties to his birthplace over a decade later on a trip to Turkey, when he visited the Iranian embassy.

According to the prosecutors’ report, he later began a relationship with an Iranian woman who introduced him to Iranian operatives, whom he met in September during a visit to see her in Turkey.

As with previous cases brought before the courts in Israel, the accused maintained contact with the agents through Telegram.

In May, just one month before Israel’s surprise attacks on Iran, the defendant told his Iranian contact that Israel planned to carry out an attack in Iran. He later updated the agent that Israel was planning a commando operation targeting the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities.

The attorney's office said that "his dangerousness is heightened in light of the period in which he committed the offenses, during which war is being waged in the State of Israel on several fronts in general and with Iran in particular, and while missiles were being fired at Israel from Iran."

This month, two additional espionage cases were revealed. Indictments were filed against an Israeli soldier who passed information to the Iranians in exchange for money—including imagery of Iranian missile landings and impacts in Israel—and a teacher from the Bedouin community in the Negev who filmed fighter jet takeoffs.

More than 25 cases of Iranian recruitment attempts have been reported by Israeli security authorities over the last year, with over 35 indictments against Israeli citizens filed.

It has led Israeli authorities to launch a campaign earlier in july urging citizens to resist the lure of spying for Iran amid the surge in efforts by Tehran to recruit Israelis for espionage.

Iran’s judiciary chief said last week that around 2,000 people were arrested during and after the 12-day war with Israel, with some detainees accused of collaborating with the Jewish state potentially facing the death penalty.

"I think everyone, China, Russia, others, even North Korea, have become a little bit more cautious about supporting Iran, especially after our B-2s flew halfway around the world and conducted an operation and left before anyone found out about it," he said.

The strikes—dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer—saw B-2 stealth bombers target three key Iranian nuclear sites using 30,000-pound “bunker buster” munitions.

The June 22 attacks followed an Israeli missile barrage that had triggered a 12-day war with Iran. A ceasefire was reached on June 24.

Speaking with Lara Trump on Fox News’ My View, Rubio said the operation had a deterrent effect, especially during the height of the fighting. “They all kind of took a pass and said, we don't want to get involved in this thing,” he said of Iran’s traditional allies.

“President Trump reminded them” that the United States has “the most extraordinary military capabilities in the world.”

The June attack came after five inconclusive rounds of nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

Since the war, Iran has expelled the UN's nuclear inspectors and has threatened to pull out of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty as the situation continues to spiral.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf backed the decision, citing security issues as the main reason. “The matter of mobile phone use by lawmakers has been discussed by the parliamentary presidium. Regardless of security concerns, we are in the chamber to legislate, and mobile phone use is inappropriate,” Ghalibaf said during Sunday’s open session.

He added, “Even if the security issues are resolved, the presidium still opposes the use of mobile phones inside the chamber. Our dear people should know that when MPs are present in the chamber or in committees, they cannot use mobile phones.”

The restriction comes amid growing fears in Tehran over Israeli intelligence operations. In recent weeks, Iranian media and officials have warned of unprecedented Israeli surveillance capabilities.

A report by The Sunday Times saidon Saturday that Israeli intelligence had deeply infiltrated Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure through complex operations over the past year.

Earlier this month, Abdollah Shahbazi, a former senior intelligence official and director of a state-affiliated research institute, warned on social media that Iranian officials should avoid carrying electronic devices for fear of being targeted. “It has now become clear that, in addition to drones and missiles, a highly active Mossad network is operating on the ground inside Iran,” Shahbazi wrote.

The ban has sparked criticism from some parliamentarians, who argue it hinders their ability to communicate with constituents.

Hamidreza Goudarzi, a lawmaker from Aligoudarz, said during Sunday’s session: “Not having our phones with us has become a problem. People expect us to be available and responsive, and this ban makes that difficult. I ask the presidium to step in and resolve this issue.”

Ghalibaf, however, said that the decision was made in consultation with security agencies. “Our colleagues in the security apparatus have specific views about mobile phone use after entering the chamber. We are following up with the presidium to make decisions accordingly,” he said.

The restriction appears to be part of broader efforts by Iranian authorities to tighten control over sensitive communications.

While the move has faced resistance from lawmakers concerned about accessibility, Ghalibaf said that constituents could still contact their MPs through office staff.“Citizens should understand that their representatives cannot speak on mobile phones while in the chamber, but their office teams can respond on their behalf,” he said.

“When Trump declared a ceasefire, Israel was moving into a final phase of attacks intended to topple the regime,” said David Ignatius in an opinion piece published by The Washington Post on Friday evening.

The final phase, which Israeli planners believed could bring down the Islamic Republic, was halted when Trump intervened.

The ceasefire announced by Trump on June 23 ended a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran that was capped off by US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

The United States had signaled it would join only if the campaign was going well, officials were quoted by the Post as saying.

At the height of the conflict, both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump hinted at favoring Iranian regime change.

"It’s not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social in late June.

According to the Washington Post, Israel’s 12-day assault dealt such severe damage to Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure that it set Tehran’s weapons program back by at least one to two years.

“Iran is no longer a threshold nuclear state,” one Israeli source told the paper. The official said the campaign eliminated nearly all of Iran’s first- and second-tier nuclear scientists and crippled both enrichment and weaponization capabilities.

Strikes on facilities at Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan and hidden uranium caches were paired with targeting of electromagnetic pulse and nuclear fusion research. The Israeli source said the intent was to dismantle not only Iran’s hardware but also the human and logistical backbone of its nuclear efforts.

The Post described the operation as combining aerial bombing, intelligence penetration and algorithm war.

After the first two days, Israel achieved total air superiority and destroyed around half of Iran’s ballistic missiles and 80 percent of its launchers, according to the report.

Israel's surprise campaign of airstrikes and drone attacks killed hundreds of Iranians including civilians, military personnel and nuclear scientists. Iran's retaliatory missile strikes killed 27 Israeli civilians.

“With internet outages during crises, we must use loudspeakers for public alerts,” said Mehdi Babaei, a member of Tehran’s City Council. “A number of these loudspeakers have been installed in main squares and the work is still ongoing.”

Babaei said the system is designed to function both in normal and emergency conditions. “These systems will play the call to prayer during routine times,” he said. “In crises, we need to decide how to use them for public announcements.”

He said mobile networks could also be disrupted during wartime. “In the 12-day war, the communications ministry had to limit internet access at times,” he said. “We may even have to temporarily block mobile phones. So we need different ways to alert people.”

“These systems can play both sirens and voice messages,” he said. “It depends on what city managers or crisis teams decide during emergencies.”

During last month's 12-day war, the Iranian government imposed a widespread internet blackout across the country, cutting off mobile networks and home internet services for millions.

The shutdown left people unable to access information, contact family members, or carry out basic tasks such as banking and navigation.

Monitoring group NetBlocks said it was the most severe connectivity crisis since the November 2019 protests.