Israel went public with news of an Iranian effort to recruit Israelis of
Iranian origin, to spy on Israel for Iran. Israel has detected at least
ten Iranian attempts to recruit Israelis as spies. This is possible
because, although Iran wants Israel destroyed, Iran still allows
Israelis of Iranian origin to return and visit kin in Iran. There are
still 25,000 Jews in Iran, and 135,000 Israelis of Iranian origin. In
the last two years, about a hundred Israelis have returned to Iran to
visit family. The classic method of recruitment, used by the Iranians,
is to threaten kin in Iran with harm (imprisonment, torture, death) if
the Israeli does not supply information. Apparently, several of the
Israelis, reported the Iranian recruiting attempt to the Israeli
government.


It's not illegal for Israelis to travel to Iran, although it's common
knowledge that Iran is not a hospitable place for Jews, Israelis or
Westerners in general. Israelis usually go to the nearest Iranian
embassy (usually Turkey) to take care of the paperwork. While applying
for an Iranian passport, they are questioned on what they do for a
living, and what they did while in the Israeli armed forces. Some
Israelis have reported this to their government, and the Iranian
espionage situation has been watched carefully for some time.

It's not suprising, I'm sure individuals with families in Russia or
other Eastern Bloc countries were subjected to much the same during the
Cold War. I'm also not sure how relevant it is to the conversation but
there was an article in ESPN the Magazine several months ago about US
players in the Iraninan basketball league and how their contry of birth
goes from U.S.A to Angola/South Africa/whatever. It also reports that
the vast majority of Iranians are huge sports fans and are chafing under
the rules put down by the theocracy there. Anyone else see that?

And Israel tries to squeeze spies into Iran, as well. Espionage is as
old as nations. Older, perhaps.


But, yes, for the most part the current Iranian government is not
particularly well liked. But it's slowly losing ground on the
"fundamentalist" attitude. They'll figure out that a more liberal
approach is better. Hopefully they'll be smart and never degenerate like
much of Europe and America has, but there's an innevitable trend in the
liberalized direction.

right on, we still spy on the soviets, and they spy on us..

You know, the USSR collapsed. There's no "soviet union" anymore, so I
don't think they count as "soviets". Just russians. But, yes, we
cheerfully spy on them even now, I'm certain.

You are right but I was born in 1960, and it will probably always be the
Soviet Union.

Maybe,,,,,,,,its a hoax orchestrated by Stalin from his Cuban Hacienda,
where he still lives today and talks with GW every Sat afternoon on the
Phone....

No, you got it all wrong. He was cryogenically frozen next to Walt
Disney. They're waiting until all the Jews are gone, and then they'll
build slavo-disney. And conquer the world.