Iran has obtained “sensitive” documents pertaining to Israel, including information allegedly related to Israeli nuclear facilities, Iranian state television reported today. The report did not specify the exact nature of the documents or how Iran acquired them.
“Iranian intelligence services have obtained a large amount of strategic and sensitive information and documents belonging to the Zionist (Israeli) regime, including thousands of documents related to the regime’s nuclear projects and facilities,” the Iranian television stated.
Iran, which has made support for the Palestinian cause a cornerstone of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, does not recognize the state of Israel. These claims emerge amidst heightened tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear program, which Israeli officials perceive as an existential threat.
Western countries, led by the U.S. and Israel (which some experts consider the only nuclear power in the Middle East), suspect Iran is attempting to produce nuclear weapons. Iran denies having such military ambitions, insisting on its right to civilian nuclear energy, particularly for power generation, under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which it is a signatory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly expressed support for military action against Iranian nuclear facilities. The two countries have been engaged in a shadow war for years.
Iran regularly arrests individuals it claims are spies and has previously accused Israel of being behind targeted assassinations or sabotage related to its nuclear program. Last year, tensions peaked when Iran twice directly attacked Israeli territory with several hundred missiles and drones. Iranian authorities then stated that these attacks were a legitimate response to a deadly strike on its consulate in Syria, which was attributed to Israel. Tehran also spoke of retaliation for the assassination of former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on its territory, for which Israel claimed responsibility, as well as the death of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, another Iranian-allied movement, who was killed in an Israeli attack in Lebanon.
