From missiles to militias: Iran's internal war on dissent intensifies
Photo for representation.
As tensions with Israel escalated, Iranian authorities are shifting focus from external conflict to an aggressive internal crackdown, marked by mass arrests, executions, and sweeping military deployments—particularly in the restive Kurdish regions.
Within days of Israel's airstrikes on June 13, Iranian security forces launched a broad campaign of arrests and established a heavy street presence with expanded checkpoints, activists and officials told Reuters. While some in Israel and among exiled opposition groups had hoped the attacks would trigger a popular uprising against the Islamic Republic, there has been no large-scale unrest—only widespread anger quietly brewing among Iranians.
A senior Iranian security official confirmed that internal security has become the top priority, especially in ethnic minority regions. Revolutionary Guard and Basij paramilitary units have been placed on high alert in response to concerns over Israeli agents, ethnic separatist groups, and the exiled People's Mujahideen Organisation, which has staged attacks inside Iran before.
Activists say the regime is using the conflict as cover to suppress dissent.
'We're extremely cautious right now,' said a rights activist in Tehran who was jailed during the 2022 protests. 'There's a real fear the regime is using this moment as a pretext.'
According to Iranian human rights group HRNA, at least 705 people have been arrested on political or security charges since the war began. Many face accusations of spying for Israel. Three Kurdish men were executed on Tuesday in Urmia, near the Turkish border, Iranian state media reported—actions condemned by Kurdish rights group Hengaw.
Security officials confirmed deployments to the borders with Pakistan, Iraq, and Azerbaijan to prevent infiltration by what the regime calls "terrorists." Iranian Kurdish separatist groups in Iraqi Kurdistan reported arrests of their activists and increased military activity across the Kurdish provinces.
Ribaz Khalili of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI) said Revolutionary Guard units had taken over schools, conducted door-to-door raids, and locked down infrastructure in key cities like Kermanshah and Sanandaj. The Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) reported over 500 opposition members detained since the start of the Israeli strikes.
Multiple Kurdish sources described a climate of fear, with checkpoints enforcing invasive searches of individuals, phones, and documents across the region.
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