The ministry said in a statement that those detained were members of four networks and “mercenaries of the US-Israeli enemy,” according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
“They had specific duties and plans for actively participating in nationwide calls for protests,” the ministry said without identifying those detained, adding that “the operatives had also carried out widespread violent and destructive acts during the January 2026 unrest.”
Iranians took to the streets in December 2025 to protest a severe economic crisis, with demonstrations later spreading across much of the country and demands expanding to include fundamental changes to the Islamic Republic’s political system.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency HRANA documented 7,007 confirmed deaths during the first 50 days of the unrest, including 6,488 protesters and 236 children, while another 11,744 cases remained under review.
Iran has tightened security across the country since the protests amid concerns over renewed unrest as the country faces deep economic strain, with the cost of living soaring and the national currency plunging amid government mismanagement, sanctions and war.