Iran arrests Baha’i members; advocates demand their release

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has arrested several members of the Baha’i faith on spying charges, the latest sign of a tightening crackdown across the Islamic Republic as it faces international pressure over its tattered nuclear deal. The Baha’i demanded their release and called their arrests part of a long pattern of persecution by Iran’s Shiite theocracy. Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said in a statement Monday that the suspects were linked to the Baha’i center in Israel and had collected and transferred information there. The Baha’i have had a presence there since before the founding of the state of Israel, which the Islamic Republic views as its chief enemy in the region.