Iran's Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) says it has arrested 11 people in Malekshahi, in Ilam province. In a statement carried by ISNA on October 17, the ministry's Ilam directorate accused them of operating in three groups, firing on security forces and a police station, directing protesters, damaging government property and possessing weapons. It called them American-Israeli "mercenaries" and described last winter's protests as a "coup."

The announcement offered no evidence of foreign direction and did not disclose the detainees' names, where they are held or whether they have lawyers.

Malekshahi was among the towns the same directorate named in January, when it first announced arrests over the unrest. That it is still making arrests there months later shows the security apparatus still treats the January uprising as a live threat. Relabeling the protests a foreign-backed "coup" also lays the groundwork for the harshest available charges, including capital ones.

The pattern is familiar: anonymous detainees, sweeping accusations, foreign enemies named but never evidenced. It is the same script the regime has used against every uprising, and it is a reliable sign of how much it fears the next one.