Turkey arrests six suspected of espionage for Iran, state broadcaster says

ISTANBUL, Jan 29 (Reuters) – Turkish authorities have arrested six people including an Iranian national on charges of political and military espionage for Iran after coordinated raids across five provinces on Wednesday, state broadcaster TRT reported.

The suspects were detained following a joint investigation by Istanbul prosecutors, the anti-terrorism police and Turkey’s intelligence agency, according to TRT.

They are accused of gathering information on military bases and other sensitive locations in Turkey and abroad, allegedly in coordination with members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ intelligence arm, according to the report.

TRT said the six are further suspected of conducting reconnaissance around the NATO-run Incirlik air base in the southeastern Turkish province of Adana, taking part in shipment of drones through Turkey for use in third countries, and sharing information with Iranian intelligence.

Iran was hit in the past month by the most widespread unrest since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. It is also under U.S. pressure to negotiate a deal to curb its nuclear programme or face, in President Donald Trump’s words, a “far worse” attack than a U.S. strike on its nuclear facilities last June.

Trump has sent what he has described as an “armada” to the Middle East to warn Tehran against killing anti-government protesters or restarting its nuclear programme.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is set to visit Turkey on Friday for talks with his counterpart Hakan Fidan regarding recent developments in neighbouring Iran including tensions with the U.S.

(Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun; editing by Huseyin Hayatsever and Daren Butler; editing by Mark Heinrich)