Iranian intelligence seizes US-made weapons, explosives smuggled by western-backed rioters
Tehran has been cracking down on US-backed efforts to employ Starlink across the country, in order to thwart the activities of rioters linked to foreign intelligence
Iranian intelligence has announced the seizure of guns, ammunition, and over 200 kilograms of explosives from foreign-backed cells that participated in the instigation of riots across the country.
Many of these arms are US-built weapons that were seized from “militants” who had hidden them in homes across Iran, the Intelligence Ministry said on 13 January.
State television also reported that several “terrorist groups” linked to Israel were detained in the southeastern city of Zahedan.
According to Sepah News, armed groups linked to Israel – which recently infiltrated Iran through its eastern borders – were dismantled in a joint operation by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ground force, police, and intelligence forces in Zahedan.
The report also reveals that US-made weapons were found.
The announcement comes as authorities in Iran have reportedly thwarted a US attempt to provide internet to the country via Starlink.
Iran had cut the internet across the country in recent days to prevent the activity of riot leaders linked to foreign intelligence.
“The internet was only cut after we confronted terrorist operations and realized that orders were coming from outside the country. We have recorded voices of individuals giving orders from abroad to terrorist agents, instructing them to fire at police forces and fire at demonstrators if police forces were not present. Their intention was to spread killing,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera on 13 January.
He also repeated recent warnings to the US, urging it not to “test” Iran by carrying out an attack on the country.
Iran’s intelligence services have intercepted a major shipment of Starlink devices and other advanced electronics intended for espionage and sabotage, IRIB reported. The consignment, originating from a “regional country,” was reportedly meant for distribution in provinces experiencing unrest.
Some of the equipment was also slated for intelligence-gathering operations near military and missile sites in preparation for a potential future conflict, the report went on to say.
Iranian authorities have significantly escalated internet restrictions by deploying military-grade jammers to disrupt Starlink satellite connectivity, extending the country’s nationwide blackout beyond domestic networks, according to Forbes.
The move marks the first documented large-scale effort by Iran to interfere directly with satellite internet, which had been viewed as a fallback during previous shutdowns. Anti-government outlet Iran Wire reported that while tens of thousands of Starlink units were believed to be operating inside Iran, disruptions rapidly increased from around 30 percent to more than 80 percent within hours.
The interference appears linked to GPS signal jamming, resulting in uneven, localized outages rather than a uniform shutdown. Monitoring groups cited by Forbes said national connectivity has dropped to roughly one percent of normal levels.
A US-based activist group claimed on Tuesday that the death toll in Iran since the protests began has reached 2,000, alleging that the majority of these were protesters killed by the government.
However, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency said that over two-thirds of the dead are being classified as “martyrs,” suggesting that they have been killed by armed anti-government rioters.
The report cites the head of the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs.
He said civilians and security personnel from various backgrounds were killed using military and hunting weapons as well as knives, axes, blades, and other weapons.
Tasnim reported that crimes including burning victims alive, beheading, and suffocation have complicated identification, requiring detailed forensic work. Authorities have begun handing over bodies, holding funerals, and carrying out burials, with the process expected to speed up.
According to Fars News Agency, recent days saw riot cells carry out ISIS-style attacks, including executions, throat-slashing, mutilation, grenade attacks, and the burning of mosques and public property. Citing intelligence assessments and what it described as admissions by Mossad and US-linked groups, the report said the events are viewed as a continuation of the 12-day Israel–Iran war and one of the largest terrorist operations against Iranian civilians since 1979.
It said “kill-manufacturing” was a central strategy to escalate unrest, noting that the highest number of deaths occurred the day after US President Donald Trump threatened military intervention if Iran killed civilians.
Fars said that around 100 identified martyrs will be buried on Wednesday.
Hundreds of people have been detained since the unrest began. Many have been found with links to foreign intelligence.
The mobile phones of some rioters and protesters contained videos including instructional messages from foreign agents.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack the Islamic Republic since the unrest began over two weeks ago, vowing to “rescue” anti-government protesters in Iran.
“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” the president said on Tuesday.
Israel’s Mossad has also publicly urged Iranians to take to the streets.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the US recently and discussed potential new strikes on the Islamic Republic with Trump. During a press conference at the time, the US president said he would potentially support a new Israeli attack.
“Trump administration officials have had preliminary discussions about how to carry out an attack on Iran if needed to follow through on Trump’s threats, including what sites might be targeted,” anonymous US officials told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on 10 January.
“One option being discussed is a large-scale aerial strike on multiple Iranian military targets. There wasn’t a consensus on what course of action to take, and no military equipment or personnel had been moved in preparation for a strike,” the sources added.
Iran has vowed a harsh response to any attack, including strikes on US bases as well as Israel.
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