At least 8 people with alleged links to the CIA were detained by Iranian authorities amid the ongoing protests in the Middle Eastern country.
"These elements had received CIA-funded training in various countries under the cover of becoming citizen-journalists," the Iranian Intelligence Ministry was quoted as saying by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). "Six were arrested while attending the riots and carrying out (CIA) orders and two while trying to ... send information abroad."
Protests erupted in several of Iran's provinces earlier in November, following the government’s decision to suddenly increase the price of gasoline, with some of the rallies turning violent.
While Iran's state-run IRIB broadcaster previously reported that law enforcement forces had identified and detained about 180 leaders of the riots, head of Iran's Prisons Organization Asghar Jahangir also announced that a significant number of people who were apprehended during the unrest have now been released.