IRGC Espionage Indicts 60 Israelis; U.S. Detains 577 Iranians

Since October 2023, at least 60 Israelis have been indicted for spying for Iran, according to Israeli security officials and a CNN investigation. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sits at the apex of a layered command structure that recruits financially vulnerable individuals through Telegram and other messaging apps. Recruits begin with low-stakes tasks like filming street corners before escalating to intelligence gathering on military sites and even assassination requests.

The Shin Bet reported a 400% surge in recruitment attempts in 2025 compared to 2024, thwarting 120 espionage incidents over the year. Recent high-profile cases include Iron Dome reservist Raz Cohen, charged in March 2026 with leaking missile defense system details to a foreign agent, and two young men accused of forging documents and coordinating meetings in Dubai. The Israel Police separately warned citizens of a new wave of intimidation text messages from Iranian intelligence. Iran's London embassy has denied the accusations as baseless.

In parallel, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained 577 Iranian nationals by December 2025, including a five-year-old child, as part of a crackdown coinciding with U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025. Data obtained by the National Iranian American Council through a FOIA lawsuit shows 220 Iranians detained in June and 80 in July during Operation Midnight Hammer. The Trump administration revoked green cards for three Iranian nationals in April 2025, and the first deportation flight removed 45 Iranians on September 30, 2025. Detainees were primarily held in California and Texas facilities. Civil liberties advocates allege the campaign constitutes ethnic profiling and violates Fourth Amendment rights.

Both the espionage indictments and the detention campaign unfold amid a broader U.S.-Israeli confrontation with Iran.