Iran foils Mossad plot against missile and aerospace industry

News Desk - The Cradle 

Tehran referred to the Israeli plot as the 'biggest' sabotage attempt against its defense industry

Iranian authorities on 31 August announced that intelligence forces neutralized the “biggest” sabotage plot against the country's missile and aerospace industry.

According to the defense ministry, the Israeli Mossad was behind a plot to implant damaged parts in the production process of its missiles.

“Under direct orders from the Mossad, this network, by selling [faulty parts] intended to convert the produced missiles into explosive devices to harm industrial lines and employees working in this field,” a defense ministry official told Iranian media on Thursday.

"This countermeasure operation is one of the most complex intelligence operations the ministry has ever come across," the official added.

One day earlier, Iranian intelligence agents arrested 14 individuals in the provinces of Khuzestan, Mazandaran, Kermanshah, and Sistan and Baluchestan who belonged to an “expansive terrorist-Zionist network.”

Furthermore, the intelligence ministry revealed that the terror cell had ties to individuals in Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

Iran's ballistic missile and nuclear energy industries have been the target of Israeli sabotage attempts for several decades. 

The terror cell reportedly planned to stage attacks implicating the nation's security forces. These plans were brewing ahead of the first anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, an event that last year caused massive street protests and violent riots fueled by separatist groups operating in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR).

Israel has maintained discreet military, intelligence, and business ties with the IKR leadership for decades. Israel has also been a strong supporter of Kurdish independence.