Arrest of 9 Iranians on Security Charges in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi newspaper Okaz reported on Monday, April 2, that the country's security forces have arrested 9 Iranians on security charges. According to the newspaper, with the arrest of these 9 individuals, the total number of Iranians imprisoned on security charges in Saudi Arabia rises to 13. The website 'Communication Window', affiliated with the Saudi Ministry of Interior, published the names of individuals arrested on security charges, which includes 9 Iranians among those detained in the past six days. Seven of these individuals were arrested on Thursday and two on Tuesday. As Okaz states, the case of one of the four Iranians previously arrested has been processed, and he has been sentenced to 13 years in prison. Saudi officials have announced that this individual's charge is that he brought Saudi youths to Iran, hosted them at his home, and prepared them to carry out terrorist attacks during pilgrimage times in Saudi Arabia. Okaz writes that several of these individuals are affiliated with the 'Iranian Security Service'. Furthermore, Okaz mentions that the arrested Iranians do not have lawyers and that hearings regarding their charges have been held without legal representation. Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have undergone significant changes in recent years, and the attack on Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad, along with the deaths of hundreds of Iranians during last year's Hajj, has darkened these relations more than ever.