Turkish authorities arrest 5 people on charges of spying for Iran
Turkish authorities have arrested five people suspected of spying on military bases and other sensitive sites for Iranian intelligence, in a rare operation to dismantle an alleged Iranian spy network amid growing tensions between Ankara and Tehran.
According to Turkey's private Demirören News Agency and other media outlets, the suspects were apprehended in simultaneous raids in Istanbul and the Mediterranean provinces of Antalya and Mersin.
The detainees are alleged to have gathered information on military bases, strategic areas in Turkey, and sensitive sites abroad, and to have transmitted this information to Iranian intelligence agencies.
The reports did not provide further details about the suspects or the information they are accused of obtaining.
Tensions escalated last month after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan criticized Iran's long-standing strategy of using Shiite proxy groups in the region to advance its interests, describing it as destabilizing.
Fidan’s remarks came in response to a question about the impact of the fall of the Iran-backed regime in Damascus on Turkish-Iranian relations. While Iran has been the main regional supporter of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Turkey has been the main backer of armed groups and mercenaries.
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