Iran Says It Busted Up Over 100 ‘Pro-Monarchist Cells’ Working With US, Israel

Iranian authorities have newly announced hundreds more arrests across the country, describing that anti-government “pro-monarchy cells” and “traitors” have been exposed and caught. 

Tehran officials have touted busting up more than 100 of these alleged cells in 26 of Iran’s 31 provinces in a major overnight security operation, describing that these groups were aligned with US and Israeli interests.

Security forces from the Intelligence Ministry “have identified and arrested 111 monarchist cells across 26 provinces before they could take action on the last Wednesday of the year,” the ministry stated according to Fars.

The ministry said that firearms, knives, and other weapons of various types were recovered. As for how many individuals were precisely rounded up and detained, this was undisclosed.

According to more details via Al Jazeera:

The ministry says four suspected spies linked to the United States were arrested in Hamedan city and West Azerbaijan province, both in the country’s west.

Authorities also arrested another 21 people accused of cooperating with the London-based broadcaster Iran International, which is outlawed in Iran.

Iran has long accused the London-based outlet Iran International of being a front for Mossad, and it also reportedly has links to Saudi Arabia – and is well known for actively promoting former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi as the next ruler of Iran.

As for Pahlavi, despite his name often appearing in Western media reports connected to the Iran crisis, the Shah’s family has been in exile for nearly fifty years – and so is a name not widely known or supported among the bulk of over 90 million citizens of Iran.

However, Reza Pahlavi’s profile has been rising - given also Western satellite and government programming has been beaming his name into the Islamic Republic, going back especially to the large deadly January economic protests.

As for domestic pressure on the Iranian government, the opposition remains fractured and small, with the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard telling a Senate Intelligence hearing on Wednesday “the Iranian regime appears to be intact, but largely degraded by the US military operation.”

What we are likely going to continue to see at least in the near term, amid the US-Israeli bombing campaign, is summed up in an international relations concept which is so basic and foundational (in terms of being entirely predictable as ‘blowback’) that it even has its own Wikipedia page: the rally ’round the flag effect. 

#BREAKING
Iran arrests US spies, dismantles pro-monarchy terror cells pic.twitter.com/TfxTQ1V5wN

— Tehran Times (@TehranTimes79) March 18, 2026

A simple definition is the psychological and political phenomenon which describes the unification of citizens and societies behind national leaders and institutions in a time of extreme crisis or external threat, such as war or invasion by a foreign power.

Israel will in the meantime continue to try and peel away and steer opposition groups and movements inside Iran, in an effort to foment regime collapse from within, but it will be a very tall order.