Iran arrests 20 in West Azerbaijan province for passing military locations to Israel

Iranian authorities arrested 20 people in West Azerbaijan province in northwestern Iran on March 15, 2026 (Day 16) for allegedly cooperating with Israel by transmitting the locations of Iranian military and security assets. The West Azerbaijan province prosecutor office confirmed the arrests in a statement cited by Tasnim news agency. The accused are charged with sending precise location data on Iran's military and security infrastructure to Israeli intelligence. West Azerbaijan borders Turkey and Armenia and hosts significant IRGC deployments, making it a high-priority intelligence target for Israel. The arrests confirm a broader Israeli intelligence effort: Reuters reported on March 14 that Israel has launched a new phase of its assault targeting security checkpoints based on tip-offs from informants inside Iran. The IDF has been conducting precision strikes against IRGC security checkpoints and command nodes identified through human intelligence. The 20 arrests represent one of the largest single disclosed intelligence busts of the conflict.