On June 24, 2025, Iranian security forces announced the arrest of three alleged Ukrainian intelligence officers suspected of planning a terrorist attack on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) factory in Isfahan, the Iranian Tasnim news agency reported, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The arrest was part of a wide-ranging intelligence operation that has seen at least 28 people, including those linked to foreign intelligence agencies, arrested in recent weeks on charges of spying for Israel.

According to Iranian authorities, the detained Ukrainians were part of a network of foreign agents whose goal was to sabotage a plant producing UAVs, including the Shahed kamikaze drones, which, according to Western sources, Russia is using in the conflict in Ukraine. The plant in Isfahan, located near the Shahed Aviation Industries plant, is considered key to Iran's defense industry. The arrest operation, carried out near Isfahan, was classified, but according to Mashreghnews, the detainees were armed and preparing to blow up the facility. The IRGC said that Iran's Supreme Court had ruled on the death penalty for terrorism suspects. Official Kyiv has not yet commented on the incident.

The arrest of the Ukrainian intelligence officers comes amid escalating tensions in the region following U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan on June 22, and Israeli attacks on six Iranian military airfields on June 23. Iran responded with Operation Basharat al-Fatah, launching 14 missiles at the U.S. al-Udeid air base in Qatar and one at a base in Iraq. U.S. President Donald Trump called the attack “weak,” thanking Iran for the warning that prevented casualties. Satellite images from Maxar Technologies showed extensive damage at Fordow, including huge craters, although the U.S. avoided striking research reactors in Isfahan to prevent a radiation disaster, Bloomberg reported.

Iran’s intelligence services have stepped up security measures following a series of incidents, including a drone attack on a weapons factory in Isfahan in January 2023 that Tehran attributed to Israel. In 2023, Israel allegedly used drones secretly assembled on Iranian soil to strike facilities linked to the production of ammunition and missiles, according to the BBC. The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency had built up an infrastructure to manufacture and deploy weapons in Iran, using local agents and sophisticated smuggling schemes. The detention of the Ukrainians, who Al Mayadeen also said were suspected of having ties to the Mossad, underscores Iran’s suspicions of coordination between Israel, the US and other countries.