Press TV, on Iran, 24 October 2026

8.2out of 10Serious

Iranian intelligence, IRGC forces

Tap a highlight to see why it matters.4 findings

Iranian intelligence forces, in cooperation with servicemen from the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces, have managed to identify and arrest two individuals in the country’s western province of Kermanshah over espionage for foreign spy agencies.

The two unnamed suspects were arrested following an intelligence operation carried out by the IRGC Najaf-e-Ashraf Strategic Headquarters, which oversees the western Iranian provinces of Kermanshah, Hamedan and Ilam, and the Ansar al-Rasoul Special Brigade.

During the operation, ten Starlink satellite internet terminals, ten Kalashnikov rifles, and 5,200 bullets for pistols and Heckler & Koch G3 battle rifles were discovered and confiscated.

In late April, the IRGC Intelligence Organization declared that, following a series of operations in Kurdistan and Kermanshah, several teams linked to anti-Islamic Revolution groups were .

It reported that the groups, backed by the United States and , aimed to facilitate military attacks from Iran’s western frontiers.

The IRGC Intelligence Organization announced that intricate intelligence missions carried out in Kurdistan province led to the disbanding of multiple cells of Kurdish separatist factions. Eleven people were captured, , and eight RPG launchers with over 2,000 rounds of associated ammunition were confiscated.

Moreover, . Another smuggling team was broken up, resulting in the confiscation of 10 AK-47 rifles, 2,250 rounds of ammunition, two hunting guns, seven RPG launchers, 90 explosive detonators, and multiple satellite internet devices.

In Kermanshah province, the IRGC Intelligence Organization reported that its covert operations resulted in the identification and capture of 155 people connected to anti-Islamic Revolution factions.

Of these, 144 were arrested for illegal arms trafficking, while 17 firearms and 1,200 rounds of ammunition were seized.

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What we found (4)

Press TV states in its own voice, in the headline and first sentence, that two unnamed people were arrested for spying for foreign agencies, though its own second sentence calls them suspects and the only source is Iran's security forces. It writes a killing by the IRGC as "one was eliminated" and labels dozens of detained people "anti-revolutionary" with no source beyond the IRGC. No other voice appears.

  1. States one side's claim as fact

    Serious

    “arrest two over collaboration with foreign spy agencies”

    Why this matters
    The headline states "collaboration with foreign spy agencies" as the reason for the arrests, with no attribution.
    The impression it gives
    That the two people are established collaborators with foreign intelligence.
    The context
    The only basis is the Iranian security forces' account. The body calls the two "suspects", names no court finding and names no foreign agency.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“The two unnamed suspects were arrested”

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    Iranian intelligence and IRGC forces say they have arrested two people in Kermanshah province whom they accuse of spying for foreign intelligence agencies. The two have not been named.

  2. Writes the death out

    Serious

    “one was eliminated”

    Why this matters
    Press TV uses "eliminated" for a person killed by IRGC forces, in its own narration.
    The impression it gives
    A reader sees a tally of results in which a person's death reads as one more item alongside captured people and confiscated launchers.
    The context
    The words mean a person was killed in an IRGC operation. The article never says killed, never names the dead person and gives no circumstances of the killing.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“The IRGC Intelligence Organization announced that intricate intelligence missions”
    • Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “killed”, “death” and “died”.

    Show it in the article

    “identified and neutralized”

    Why this matters
    Press TV passes on the IRGC's word "neutralized" for what happened to several teams, without saying whether anyone was killed.
    The impression it gives
    That the teams were simply dealt with. The reader cannot tell whether this means arrests, dispersal or deaths.
    The context
    The article later reports that one person was "eliminated", so killings were part of these operations. "Neutralized" hides how many, if any, were killed.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“one was eliminated”

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    The IRGC said its forces killed one person and detained eleven in operations in Kurdistan province. The person killed was not named.

  3. Labels people on one side's word

    Serious

    “73 people associated with anti-revolutionary groups were arrested”

    Why this matters
    Press TV labels 73 detained people "associated with anti-revolutionary groups" in its own voice. The sentence carries no attribution.
    The impression it gives
    That all 73 are established members or associates of hostile armed groups.
    The context
    The only source in the article is the IRGC Intelligence Organisation. No charges, names or evidence for any of the 73 are given.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“the IRGC Intelligence Organization reported that its covert operations”

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    The IRGC said it had arrested 73 people it accuses of links to opposition groups.

  4. Uses a loaded word

    Minor

    “the Israeli regime”

    Why this matters
    Press TV uses "regime" for the Israeli government.
    The impression it gives
    The word carries a verdict on the state's legitimacy in what reads as a news report.
    The context
    The phrase sits in a sentence reporting the IRGC's account, but the word is not marked as the IRGC's. A plain report would say the Israeli government or Israel.

    Show it in the article

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