Reuters: Iran says identifies, detains U.S., Israeli spies

[MsKandice01]

Iran says identifies, detains U.S., Israeli spies
Thu Feb 8, 2007 12:33 PM ET

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's intelligence minister said Iran had identified 100 people he described as U.S. and Israeli agents and said some were arrested trying to leave Iran to attend "spying" courses abroad, state TV reported on Thursday.

Iran's highest authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has previously warned about a "velvet revolution", a supposed U.S. plot to use intellectuals and others inside the country to bring about "regime change".

Intelligence Minister Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei was quoted by state television as saying Iran had "identified 100 American and Israeli spies at the Iranian border. They were planning to obtain military and political information within Iran."

He did not give any nationalities and it was not clear to which border point he referred, but several Iranian activists and journalists in recent weeks have been detained or barred from leaving Iran at airports on the way to courses abroad.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-02-08T173228Z_01_BLA859610_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAN-SPYING.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C1-topNews-6

[Kagemusha]

1. Sadly, the US' actions have made these claims much more believable

I'm not saying they are true. But if they are lies, they are lies that are easier to get away with thanks to the US' actions in Iraq against Iranian "agents".

[peacetalksforall]

2. About 1 1/2 years ago we read on the internets that spy-soldiers

were going into Iran. American spy-soldiers. I think it's a safe assumption that the country of Iran has been ilfiltrated by Israeii spies for decades.

Interesting - Democracy Now had a segment today concetrating on the Israeli art sellers we read about early on - saying they they tracked some of the alleged bombers prior to x-xx. You know the date I mean - I don't want this to go to the x-xx spot because what I'm referring to is today - and a new article at Counterpunch.

So, they stopped them leaving? Seems that means they were following them (or some of them) during their sojourn in Iran?

Why all the knowledge about their traveling to attended spying courses - outside Iran? Where did that little detail come from? You would think they would be leaving because we're getting near to the worst disaster in the history of man.

[donkeyotay]

3. They make it sound like the Iranians are paranoid, "supposed US plot"

Guess they've never heard of HR 282, the Iran Freedom Support Act that calls for exactly that.

[Zandor]

4. NEXT! n/t

-

[Oreo]

5. $5 says nobody hears about this because of Anna Nicole Smith

Imagine if people got as riled up about real news as things like her death. Yes it's shocking but dying troops and the threat of many more dead should trump a dead b-list celeb

[HuffleClaw]

6. bush could use this to 'justify' war

an ultimatum, 'release the HOSTAGES or else...'