The FBI announced the arrest of 18 people in 21 months in counter-espionage cases related to Iran.
The American Federal Police, the FBI, announced that from the beginning of January 2025 to the end of September 2026, in a period of 21 months, 18 people were arrested in counter-espionage cases related to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This figure shows an increase of 38% compared to the period of the previous 21 months.
This figure was published on Tuesday, November 3, in a report on the performance of the FBI in the field of dealing with espionage and foreign intelligence activities, on the official account of "FBI Quick Response" on the X social network.
In the published statistics, there are no details on the identities of the 18 people arrested in Iran-related cases, their specific charges or the judicial outcome of their cases.
Kesh Patel, the head of the FBI, previously announced in his written testimony before the US Senate Judiciary Committee on September 15, 2026 that in the first 18 months of his presidency, 17 people were arrested in counter-espionage cases related to Iran. According to Patel, this figure has increased by 55% compared to 18 months ago.
In this report, the head of the FBI also described the Islamic Republic, along with Russia and China, as information threats to American national security, saying that these countries are trying to obtain American security information, attract current and former employees of government and military institutions, and influence decisions.
According to the FBI's latest report, from January 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026, a total of 167 people were arrested in the US in anti-espionage and espionage cases. This figure shows a 53% increase compared to the 21-month period from April 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024.
Read the full version of this report on Radio Perda's website.