Israel’s Mossad has developed one of its largest intelligence operations focused on Iran and may even intercept landline communications, a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards navy said on Friday.
Hossein Alaei, the first commander of the Guards’ naval forces, said Israel had prepared its current espionage and military campaign decades ago. “The Zionist regime planned its attack on Iran twenty years ago and has concentrated one of its strongest intelligence networks on our country,” Alaei said in a televised interview, according to local media.
The conflict between Iran and Israel erupted after a surprise Israeli strike on Iranian military and nuclear sites on June 13. Tehran said 1,062 people were killed, including 786 military personnel and 276 civilians. Israel said it killed more than 30 senior Iranian security officials and 11 nuclear scientists. Iran responded with missile strikes that killed 31 civilians and one off-duty Israeli soldier.
“I believe Mossad has set up its most powerful structure anywhere in the world inside Iran,” Alaei said. “They have done all the necessary organization and spent a lot of money on it.”
Since the June war, more than 700 Iranians have been detained on charges of spying for Israel. Executions of those accused of spying for Israel have risen in recent months, with at least 10 people put to death on such charges, according to Iranian authorities.
Alaei said Israel had combined human infiltration with advanced surveillance technology. “They have focused satellites over Iran and set up systems to gather information through all communication networks,” he said. “I think they have established facilities capable of monitoring all Iranian networks, even landlines.”
A recent documentary by Israel’s Channel 13 said one hundred Mossad operatives were deployed inside Iran to install and operate smuggled heavy missile systems. These systems were used to disable Iranian missile launchers and air-defense batteries during the opening phase of June’s 12-day war, the network reported.
The report said the agents’ operations were integral to Israel’s broader campaign against Iran’s military infrastructure.
“Marriage and having children must be considered part of a person’s résumé,” Amirhossein Bankipour, a member of parliament from Isfahan, said on Saturday, according to state media. “A woman who marries should receive more points, and a woman who gives birth should gain even more, because she is helping prevent a population crisis.”
Bankipour’s remarks come amid a government push to raise fertility under the 2021 Youthful Population and Family Support Act, which restricts access to abortions and contraceptives while providing loans, subsidies, and tax breaks for couples. The law aims to lift the fertility rate to 2.5 children per woman, but official data show it remains at about 1.6, far below the target.
Despite the incentives, as Iran’s economy has sharply deteriorated, marriage and raising children have become harder for many families. Inflation has eroded purchasing power, and basic expenses such as food, rent, and education have soared.
Health impact of restrictive population laws
While the government has linked population growth to national strength, its policies have also created new social pressures. The Shargh daily reported in September that restrictions on prenatal screening and abortion have doubled the rate of Down syndrome births, from 1.2% to 2.9% since the law took effect. Legal procedures for pregnancy termination now require both medical and judicial approval, even in cases of confirmed fetal abnormalities.
Public health experts have warned that the tightening of reproductive laws, coupled with deepening economic hardship, has fueled a growing underground abortion market and worsened inequality. At the same time, official figures show Iran spends only 2.9 percent of GDP on education, compared to the global average of 4.4 percent, contributing to what commentators describe as a widening social gap between poor and wealthy families.
Lawmaker defends incentives despite limited results
Bankipour said parliament has sought to address the economic dimension by increasing marriage loans and expanding housing programs for young couples. However, years of inflation and declining real wages have limited their impact.
He said the new proposal would help redirect social incentives toward family building. “Until now, degrees and job skills have determined status,” he said. “We need to tell the younger generation that forming a family and raising children are themselves national achievements that deserve recognition.”
