Iran’s Police Commander Ahmad-Reza Radan said in an interview with state television on May 18 that authorities had arrested more than 6,500 people accused of espionage, collaboration, or anti-government activity since the start of the recent conflict, adding that 567 cases involved individuals linked to opposition groups.
Iran's Police Chief admits to 6,500 arrests
— Pasha Borjkhani (@BorjkhaniP1847) May 18, 2026
In this Video Iran Police Chief, Ahmad-Reza Radan confirms:
• 6,500 citizens detained in recent weeks.
• 567 linked to the MEK and other opposition groups.
• Vows to hunt every January protester: “We won’t let them go.” https://t.co/pkB41BvjoR pic.twitter.com/99DmAS1Jsw
“In the field of traitors and spies, from the beginning of the war until now, more than 6,500 traitors and spies have been arrested… 567 of whom were special cases related to ‘hypocrisy’ and anti-revolutionary groups,” Radan said, using the official derogatory term often applied by authorities to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). He added that arrests connected to the January unrest were continuing.
Radan’s remarks come as Iran’s judiciary has publicly outlined what it describes as the results of its crackdown since February 28, reporting the execution of 29 people accused of espionage, terrorism, or armed unrest, lengthy prison sentences for dozens more, and widespread property confiscations. Authorities also reported the seizure of hundreds of properties and the freezing of bank accounts and cryptocurrency assets belonging to political, media, and cultural figures.
According to state judiciary-linked reporting, another 36 individuals received prison terms ranging from four to 13 years in provinces including Qom and Isfahan for activities authorities said included transferring money, providing safe houses, lower-level intelligence work, or encouraging unrest. The sentences are reportedly final and already being implemented.
The figures were released weeks after Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Eje’i called for courts to accelerate verdicts and implementation of punishments, arguing that delays reduce their deterrent effect. His remarks were widely interpreted as support for faster processing of execution cases involving political detainees and security-related charges.
Recent months have seen a series of executions of political prisoners, dissidents, and individuals accused of links to opposition groups. Among them were six PMOI members — Vahid Baniamerian, Pouya Ghobadi, Babak Alipour, Mohammad Taghavi, Abolhassan Montazer, and Akbar Daneshvarkar — executed between late March and early April after being convicted on charges including moharebeh (“enmity against God”) and attacks on security targets. Two other PMOI members, Hamed Validi and Mohammad (Nima) Massoum-Shahi, were executed on April 20. This is in addition to at least 14 executions of January 2026 protesters in less than two months.
Authorities have announced the executions linked to January unrest cases and alleged victims of being part of “espionage networks. State media reports reviewed by Simay Azadi show an increasing pattern of presenting protesters, dissidents, and alleged foreign-linked actors under a broader national security framework.
Radan’s latest remarks also echo earlier statements made during the January 2026 uprising. On March 10, he publicly said protesters would be treated as “enemies,” signaling a shift in official rhetoric that framed dissidents not as citizens engaged in unrest but as hostile actors aligned with foreign adversaries.
In another statement on April 20, amid growing executions and arrests, Radan said security forces would continue “treating protesters like enemies,” adding that 1,200 people had been arrested in a single wave.
The combination of mass arrests, accelerated sentencing, public calls for faster punishments, and growing use of espionage-related charges has increasingly raised questions among rights groups and observers over due process, transparency, and the expanding use of security laws against political dissent in Iran.