Iran’s intelligence ministry announced Wednesday that two Europeans had been arrested on accusations of seeking to “destabilize the country”, without specifying their nationality.
“Two Europeans, who had entered the country with the aim of unleashing chaos and destabilizing society, were identified and arrested,” the ministry said in a statement.
The two detainees had attempted to get close to the teachers’ union, the ministry said.
For months, teachers in Iran have held protests to demand that the authorities speed up the implementation of reforms that would see their salaries better reflect their experience and performance.
The ministry described the detainees as “two experienced agents” and said they were citizens of a European country, without specifying which country or giving the date of their arrest.
Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch called for the release of almost 40 teachers arrested in events surrounding nationwide demonstrations on May 1.
In April, teachers’ union member Rasoul Bodaghi was sentenced to five years in prison over his participation in the protests, a human rights group said.
Iran’s economy has been reeling under punishing sanctions that were reimposed by the United States in 2018, with civil servants among the hardest hit.