Iran has set up a website to report critics of the regime living abroad, DPA reports. The monitoring system, called "Alaj" ("Healing"), aims to identify "traitors". It was officially created to "protect national security".
"Treason against Iran has a price and leads to legal consequences," the Fars news agency wrote yesterday.
Iranians can use both the internet portal and social networks to report alleged "traitors". The identities of the whistleblowers will be kept secret.
It is still unclear how widely the website will be used, but there are concerns that it will increase distrust among the Iranian diaspora.
According to various estimates, about 4 million people with Iranian citizenship or Iranian origin live outside the country. Many of them have left Iran for political reasons.
It has long been known that Iranian security services have significant operational capabilities in Europe and the United States, which makes it difficult for Iranians abroad to trust each other.
The war with Iran has further increased distrust and the practice of people reporting on each other. The "Alaaj" portal lists supporters of military strikes against Iran and sanctions against the country as potential "traitors."
According to the information on the website itself, citizens have so far reported 600 people. The identities of some Iranians living abroad have already been published on the portal.