Spy War: Iran vs. Israel

On June 8, Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib claimed that Iranian intelligence agencies had acquired a substantial cache of classified materials from Israel, including documentation related to Israel’s nuclear infrastructure and strategic installations. Also on June 8, the English-language edition of Iran Daily, which articulates the official narrative of the state, reported on Iran’s formal communication to the International Atomic Energy Agency, alleging that “contamination” detected at Iran’s nuclear sites by the agency was the result of Israeli sabotage rather than undeclared nuclear activity. While it remains difficult to independently verify these assertions, it is telling that the report highlighting Iran’s purported advancements in offensive intelligence operations is dominating state-controlled media, whereas the report implicitly acknowledging Israeli penetration of Iranian territory has appeared exclusively in English-language state media. 

• June 8: Tabnak News Agency, which is aligned with former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Chief Commander Mohsen Rezaei, quoting Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib, reported: 

• • Ministry of Intelligence agents “have, through a sophisticated and multilayered operation, succeeded in obtaining a treasure trove of operational and technical intelligence from the Zionist entity … The intelligence is not limited to the nuclear domain … It includes the full spectrum of the Zionist regime’s nuclear documentation, records of its foreign relations with the United States, Europe, and other international actors, and intelligence enhancing Iran’s strategic deterrence capabilities.” 

• • Khatib refrained from detailing the operational methods through which the intelligence was acquired but stated: “This major operation, meticulously planned from the initial stages of infiltration and asset recruitment to the progressive expansion of access, was brought to fruition through divine providence and the perseverance” of Ministry of Intelligence agents. Khatib also expressed optimism that portions of the intelligence dossier will be declassified and released in the future. 

• June 8: Iran Daily shared Iran’s official response to the IAEA under the headline: “Israel Behind ‘Sabotage, Contamination’ in Disputed Sites: Iran’s Nuclear Agency.”  

• June 9: Centrist Khabar Online, citing a Supreme National Security Council statement about the alleged operation, reported:  

• • “Access to this intelligence, coupled with the completion of the intelligence-operational cycle, enables the warriors of Islam to, in the event of a preemptive or preventive strike by the Zionist regime on Iran’s nuclear facilities, retaliate by targeting Israel’s covert strategic assets. Any act of aggression against Iran’s economic or military infrastructure will be met with a proportional and reciprocal response.”  

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