Islamic Republic Accuses Israel of Attempting to Sabotage Its Missile Program

On Thursday, Iranian state media reported, citing the Ministry of Defense, that Israel's actions to "sabotage" Iran's defense industry and missile production had been unsuccessful. Iranian officials occasionally announce the discovery of a "conspiracy" or the identification of "agents" of Israel, but due to the lack of free media in Iran, verifying their claims is difficult or impossible. The Islamic Republic's state television stated that the Ministry of Defense's intelligence organization had "neutralized" one of the "most complex" sabotage plots in recent years targeting Iran's military missile and space industries. The report added that "internal agents" of this "completely professional network," along with "foreign officers," and "all routes" for the entry of defective parts had been identified. Reuters reported that Israel has not yet responded to this news. The Iranian government report, quoting an unnamed Ministry of Defense official, claimed that the alleged network aimed to introduce defective parts into missile production. Israel has repeatedly stated that it views Iran's missile program as a threat, and Israeli officials have said they are countering the supply of missile parts, especially equipment that increases the accuracy of Hezbollah's rockets in Lebanon. Islamic Republic leaders have repeatedly declared their desire for Israel's destruction. Earlier, Voice of America quoted Jonathan Schanzer, an expert at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, regarding Israel's efforts to prevent the delivery of precision missiles from Iran to Hezbollah, noting that some of these shipments had reached Hezbollah, which is estimated to possess about 500 precision (guided) missiles. The claim of discovering a sabotage network in the Iranian Ministry of Defense's missile industries comes at a time when Iran's nuclear facilities, including Natanz, have frequently been targeted by sabotage. The responsibility for protecting those facilities lies with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, while a recent report states that the Ministry of Defense's intelligence organization discovered this network. Ukrainian officials have previously warned about the consequences of Iran's military assistance to Russia. Russia has used Iranian drones to attack Ukrainian facilities, and some have suggested the possibility of missile shipments from Iran to Russia. Israel has been under pressure to assist Ukraine. In addition to reported sabotage at Iran's nuclear centers, other significant intelligence blows to the Islamic Republic include the killing of Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force, the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a key figure in Iran's nuclear program, the assassination of a Quds Force commander in Tehran, and the mass transfer of nuclear documents from inside Iran to Israel. The U.S. and its allies in the Persian Gulf are concerned about Iranian drones and missiles. Israeli security organizations say they are prepared for retaliatory attacks from the Islamic Republic. The anniversary of Russia's attack on Ukraine; the Islamic Republic's position and the role of Iranian drones. The Islamic Republic's reaction to the position of a Ukrainian official regarding the drone attack in Isfahan; the summoning of the chargé d'affaires to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Wall Street Journal: Israel is the perpetrator of the attack on military facilities in Isfahan. Ukrainian officials' response to the explosion in Isfahan: We had warned. About a quarter of Israel's defense exports went to Arab countries of the Abraham Accords. Experts express concern over the activities of 19 Iranian proxy groups around Israel.