Iran announces arrests, says US and Israel suffering ‘defeats’

Iranian authorities have announced hundreds more arrests across the country, as well as operations to counter what they describe as “traitors” aligned with the interests of the United States and Israel.

“Iranian authorities have announced hundreds more arrests across the country, as well as operations to counter what they describe as “traitors” aligned with the interests of the United States and Israel”

Al Jazeera

Iranians have for millennia celebrated the eve of the last Wednesday of the year with a fire festival called Chaharshanbe Suri, which welcomes Nowruz, the Persian New Year.

But authorities urged pro-establishment backers this year to take to the streets and retain control while security forces arrest any dissidents, amid the US-Israel war on Iran.

Al Jazeera

The state-run Fars news agency said some of the dozens arrested in the city of Karaj near Tehran had “burned images of and insulted the martyred supreme leader”, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the war on February 28.

“Iranian authorities have announced hundreds more arrests across the country, as well as operations to counter what they describe as “traitors” aligned with the interests of the United States and Israel”

Al Jazeera

Khamenei’s son Mojtaba Khamenei has since been picked as Iran’s new supreme leader.

It released footage of confessions of a young man identified as Kourosh Keyvani during an apparent court session, and said he was executed on Wednesday morning for spying for Israel during the 12-day war in June.