The US State Department on Tuesday declined to comment on reports that Iran had arrested two American Jewish citizens on suspicion of spying for Israel in the aftermath of the recent 12-day war.
One of the two detainees, identified by HRANA as 70-year-old Yehuda Hekmati, remains in detention.
Hekmati, a jeweler with ties to New York, allegedly drew the attention of the Islamic Republic due to a trip he made to Israel seven years ago.
The second detainee, an Iranian-American resident of Los Angeles, has been released on bail.
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to comment on the case Tuesday, saying only that she hopes she would be able to speak about it soon.
The State Department has repeatedly warned that Americans, including dual nationals, risk wrongful detention in Iran.
The department's website says: "Americans, including Iranian-Americans and other dual nationals, have been wrongfully detained, taken hostage by the Iranian government for months, and years."
Israel’s Channel 11 quoted a source involved in the American detainees’ case as saying, “These two Americans were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Crackdown on minorities and foreign nationals
In the aftermath of the war, Iranian authorities have intensified pressure on religious and ethnic minority groups, as well as foreign nationals, in what experts describe as an attempt to reassert control, deflect blame, and silence dissent.
Iran’s Jewish community has faced unprecedented scrutiny. Dozens have been interrogated over contacts with family in Israel, and Jewish conscripts have reportedly been forced to participate in loyalty demonstrations to the Islamic Republic.
Foreign nationals have not been spared. Several Europeans have been detained on charges of cooperating with Israel. French citizens Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, held in Iran since 2022, now face new espionage charges that could carry the death penalty.
Iran’s judiciary chief recently announced that over 2,000 people have been detained since the war with Israel, some facing charges of “organized collaboration with the enemy”—a charge that can carry the death penalty.
In an interview with the Associated Press published Tuesday, al-Sudani said the attacks were aimed at Israel and US military bases inside Iraq.
“These operations were neutralized by Iraqi government security measures,” he said, though declined to elaborate on details.
“We know that the Israeli government had a policy — and still does — of expanding the war in the region. Therefore, we made sure not to give any justification to any party to target Iraq.”
The prime minister said his government engaged in direct communication with Iranian leaders during the crisis, encouraging de-escalation. “We reached out to leaders in Iran to urge them toward calm and to make room for dialogue and a return to negotiations,” al-Sudani said.
Since the 2003 US invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, numerous militias have emerged in Iraq, many with ties to Iran. Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023 and the recent Israel-Iran escalation, including US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, the pro-Iran factions have periodically targeted US bases in Iraq.
Groups within the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella group of mostly Shia armed groups originally formed to fight the Islamic State and then integrated into Iraq's security forces, have been among those involved.
Al-Sudani acknowledged that the continued presence of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition has provided a “justification” for such groups to remain armed. The withdrawal process began in 2023, but is not yet complete.
“When the coalition withdrawal is complete, there will be no need or justification for any group to carry weapons outside the scope of the state,” he said.
Future of Popular Mobilization Forces
A focal point of US-Iraqi tensions lies in the future of the PMF. Though nominally under Iraqi military command since 2016, many PMF units maintain strong ties to Iran and operate with broad autonomy.
A new bill in Iraq’s parliament is aimed at formalizing the PMF’s status within the security apparatus, a move that has drawn criticism from Washington. The US State Department recently warned the legislation “would institutionalize Iranian influence and armed terrorist groups undermining Iraq’s sovereignty.”
Al-Sudani, however, defended the initiative, saying that it is part of an effort to ensure that arms are controlled by Baghdad. “Security agencies must operate under laws and be subject to them and be held accountable,” he said.
Kurdish region attacks
In recent weeks, a series of drone attacks targeted oil facilities in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region, with Kurdish regional authorities blaming groups in the PMF. Baghdad has denied it, but has not publicly named any perpetrators.
Al-Sudani called the attacks a “terrorist act” and said his government is working with Kurdish authorities and coalition forces to identify those responsible and hold them accountable.