Iran International
The postwar debate over Israeli infiltration of Iran’s security and political system has added another layer to contentions in Tehran, with warnings and accusations directed at some hard-liners and radical insiders.
Concerns have intensified as politicians on both sides beat the drums of a possible new war following the activation of the trigger mechanism by European powers which could reimpose international sanctions by month's end.
"Infiltration of Iran’s security organizations cannot be ignored,” former lawmaker Mohammad Ali Pourmokhtar told Khabar Online on Wednesday. “It has now become clear that infiltrating agents were involved in some of the attacks on military establishments."
He stressed that infiltrators often operate from within: "They gain trust by posing as insiders, allowing them to advance their agendas … (they) often disguise themselves as true believers in the system, and sometimes as radicals."
Revolutionary Guards commander and former MP Mansour Haghighatpour echoed the sentiment. "The people should be vigilant and suspicious of those who race ahead of the revolution and chant radical slogans," he said on Wednesday.
His remark, a rare swipe at hardliners who cloak themselves in revolutionary zeal, underscored how the infiltration debate is feeding into wider factional infighting.
No official explanation
Despite such warnings, no major counter-intelligence breakthroughs have been reported beyond the swift execution of a nuclear scientist accused of betraying slain colleagues to Israel.
Instead, blame has shifted to Afghan refugees, social media vulnerabilities and figures within the intelligence community, adding more confusion than clarity.
Family members of some slain commanders said the victims did not use smartphones or social media—though it later emerged that some of their bodyguards did.
What has most stunned officials is the depth of Israel’s penetration.
Drones used in the assassinations were reportedly built or assembled inside Iran by Israeli agents, who vanished without a trace after their mission.
One reason Supreme Leader Khamenei has avoided public appearances and even meetings with insiders is his likely deep mistrust of suspected infiltrators in the security apparatus.
Pourmokhtar warned that infiltration can reach the very top: "Sometimes infiltrators operate in the deeper layers of government, figures unknown to the public, yet capable of influencing top-level decisions."
‘In whose interest?’
Last week, security chief Ali Larijani acknowledged the problem as a “serious matter,” adding that Iran “had painful weaknesses" in the war with Israel.
The debate has also spilled into parliament, where critics have accused hardliners of damaging national security by advancing extreme policies, citing a recent urgent move to pull Iran from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Lawmaker Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani admitted: "The triple-urgency bill to exit the NPT was a gift to Trump." Abbas Goudarzi, spokesperson for the presidium, added: "Withdrawing from the NPT is a matter of governance, and the Majles cannot decide on it independently."
Reformist outlet Fararu went further, accusing parliament’s National Security and Foreign Relations Committee of driving confrontational policies.
It pointed to the committee’s push to raise enrichment levels, promote aggressive rhetoric, and even table a motion to withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty—moves it said are justified as bargaining tools but fail to deter war.
"Does the committee act to ensure national security," it asked, "or does it work against it?"
