Iran Arrests Three 'Mossad Spies' Who Stole Classified Documents

Iran's Ministry of Intelligence has reported the arrest of three people suspected of working for Israeli Mossad spy agency.

The trio were arrested in Iran's south-eastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan.

According to Iranian intelligence, the three spies were engaged in gathering and "disseminating" classified documents and information. The ministry did not specify the nationalities of the arrested people and how long they had allegedly been working on Mossad.

Earlier in March, Iran's security service reported thwarting the operations of two foreign sabotage teams funded from abroad. According to the authorities, those detained were planning to assassinate several foreigners working on infrastructure projects in the Islamic Republic.

Last July, Iran's Ministry of Intelligence also said that it uncovered a network of Mossad agents near the country's western borders.

According to Tehran, the arrested agents planned to instigate riots and carry out terror attacks in the country. A large cache of weapons and ammunition was also seized during the arrest, the Ministry of Intelligence said.

The arrest of the suspected Mossad agents also comes as Tel Aviv continues to accuse Tehran of harbouring plans to build nuclear weapons. Iran strongly rejects the claim, pointing out that such weapons contradict the teachings of Islam.

Israel has vowed to respond to the threat of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, and is reportedly considering air attacks against Tehran's nuclear facilities if negotiations for the US to re-join the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reach agreement.

The international accord lifted Westerns sanctions on Iran in return for allowing UN inspections of its nuclear sites. The JCPOA negotiations in Vienna, however, have been stalled for nearly two months after talks broke down when a deal was mooted to be close.