Iranian intelligence has acquired "sensitive" documents concerning Israel, including information related to its nuclear facilities, Iran's state television claimed Saturday. No details were provided about the content of the documents or how they were allegedly obtained.
“Iranian intelligence services have obtained a large quantity of strategic and sensitive information and documents belonging to the Zionist regime, including thousands of documents related to the regime’s nuclear projects and installations,” the state broadcaster reported tersely.
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Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
(Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS)
Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen network and Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, both of which are aligned with Hezbollah and the Iranian regime, claimed, without providing any evidence, that the vast trove of thousands of documents pertains to Israeli projects and nuclear facilities. They alleged the operation took place some time ago but was kept secret due to the volume of material and the logistical need to safely transfer it to secure locations in Iran. According to the outlets, the transfer has now been completed.
Tasnim also referenced the recent arrest of Roy Mizrahi and Almog Atias, two Israeli citizens from the northern city of Nesher who are suspected of spying for Iran. The agency suggested that even if the suspects were linked to the operation, their arrests occurred after the documents had already been smuggled out of Israel.
Al Mayadeen claimed further details from the documents and the operation would be released in due course, noting that the volume of materials is so substantial that reviewing the documents, images and video files is taking considerable time.
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Israeli authorities have not commented on the claims, which remain unverified.
Dr. Raz Zimmt, head of the Iran and Shiite Axis Program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) at Tel Aviv University, addressed the Iranian claims, writing: “In mid-2024, reports emerged that Iranian hackers had accessed a server belonging to the Atomic Energy Commission and extracted data from 2014 to 2023. According to those reports, the breach was not considered severe. There may be a connection to today’s report.”
Zimmt also noted: “Following Iranian Foreign Minister [Abbas] Araghchi’s visit to Cairo last week, American journalist Laura Rozen reported that Tehran is considering adding a demand for a ‘nuclear-weapons-free Middle East’ to its counterproposal to the U.S. offer it received. Egypt, as is well known, has previously supported similar demands directed at Israel.”
According to Zimmt, “The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is set to convene next week, and it may issue a serious resolution declaring Iran non-cooperative with the agency on its nuclear program. It is no coincidence that on the eve of the meeting, and ahead of Iran’s counterproposal to the U.S. initiative, Tehran is attempting to shift the spotlight toward Israel’s nuclear program. It is doubtful this effort will succeed.”
Iran also addressed the IAEA report published last week, which noted a sharp increase in the amount of uranium enriched to 60% currently held by Tehran. Iran claimed the sites mentioned in the report were “contaminated due to sabotage,” alluding to Israeli involvement, and accused the agency of “relying on fabricated Israeli intelligence.”