The charge against 18 suspected spies who were arrested by Saudi police on Sunday have been confirmed. Their espionage activities for Iran have been recorded in sound and picture, the local media reported yesterday quoting informed security sources.

“Saudi security agents have recorded most of the meetings of these spies,” one source told Al-Hayat Arabic daily. The suspected spies will be interrogated before their trial. The source did not rule out the possibility of a non-Saudi leading the espionage cell, although it included 16 Saudis, in addition to an Iranian and a Lebanese.

Zuhair Al-Harthi, a member of the Shoura Council, called on the government to retaliate diplomatically against Tehran if its involvement in the case is confirmed. “This represents an unprecedented escalation in Saudi-Iranian relations,” he pointed out.

Al-Harthi warned against Tehran’s expansionary ambitions, citing discovery of similar Iranian spy networks in Yemen, Kuwait and Bahrain. He said the arrest of spies would harm Iran’s relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council.

GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif Al-Zayani denounced the moves to plant spy and terrorist cells in member countries to undermine the security and stability of the bloc. He reiterated the GCC’s support for Saudi Arabia for the measures it would take to deal with such spy networks. “GCC security is an inseparable entity and the attack on the security of a member country would be considered an attack on all members,” he added.

Jamal Khashoggi, director of Al-Arab news channel, highlighted the worsening Saudi-Iran relations. “There is an undeclared war between the two countries and it has taken different forms,” he told Al-Sharq daily. He said Saudi Arabia had tried to improve its relations with Tehran but the latter has not reciprocated positively. He called on the Shiites in the Kingdom to be aware of Iranian plots as “you belong to this nation.”

He added: “The Iranian espionage to collect information about vital Saudi installations is a matter of deep concern.” Khashoggi said Iran is now fighting its last battle in Syria. “It knows very well that its failure in Syria would cost it dearly,” he said, adding that Tehran has lost its credibility as a result of its stance in Syria.

Abdul Aziz Al-Ghamdi, former president of Naif Arab University of Security Sciences, said Iran was playing the sectarian card to recruit agents to serve its interests. He said Iran has been expanding its spy network in the region after the American occupation of Iraq. “Iranian spies have been found in Egypt, Morocco and Sudan.”

He emphasized the need to enlighten Saudi citizens against falling victim to foreign intelligence agencies. “Our security machinery should launch a new campaign to revive awareness among citizens like it did before,” Al-Ghamdi said.