TEHRAN – The Intelligence Ministry says its forces have inflicted a “heavy blow” on the United States by disbanding two sophisticated cyber espionage networks affiliated with the CIA.

The director general of the Intelligence Ministry’s counterespionage department said on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic has dealt a severe blow to the American espionage network in the cyber-space, Tasnim reported.

The official further said more details of the new attack on the hostile network will be released in the near future.

In another operation in recent months, Iranian intelligence forces dealt a blow to a new network of U.S. spies, according to the official.

A detailed description of the operations and the evidence of activities of the CIA spies in foreign countries will be published after judicial processes, the official said.

“The U.S. espionage network includes a considerable number of professional CIA spies who have received a blow in the recent attack from the Intelligence Ministry of the Islamic Republic and its global allies,” the official said, adding that the spies involved in the case are regarded as “premium sources” by the CIA, because of their close cooperation with the U.S. spy agency and the information they had been providing.

Highlighting the counterespionage activities of the Intelligence Ministry at the international level, the official said Iran uses the “capacities of other allies’ (intelligence) services” in the battle against the U.S.

The official also said Iran’s success to uncover Washington’s international cyber espionage network not only prevented hostile intelligence measures against Tehran, it also disrupted a remarkable part of the global intelligence activities of the United States.

The Americans take advantage of the cyber-space to act against Iran and also to contact their spies across the world through safe communication systems, the official said, adding that Iranian forces managed to penetrate into the U.S. cyber espionage systems, which operate under the guise of social, health or athletic websites.  

“Detection of the spies was not confined to Iran alone, although Persian websites were also among those sites,” the intelligence official stated, adding that a number of the spies were identified as Iranians committing treason and cooperating with the CIA from inside the country.

Some of those Iranian nationals were brought to justice, while a number of others were used for infiltration into the U.S. cyber espionage network, the official added.

MH/PA