Catherine Shakdam is facing some serious accusations. Some Iranians think she was secretly working for Israel, getting close to people in the Supreme Leader's office. She says it's not true. In an interview, almost an hour long, with Iran International, the journalist from France and Britain said she didn't have special access to Ali Khamenei's office or know anyone who worked there. She told Iran International that she regrets writing an article in The Times of Israel. That's what started this whole mess.

After her article was published, things got wild in Iran. Some important people in the military, politics, and religion were accused of knowing a spy. Some even said that government officials slept with Shakdam and gave her secret info.

Khamenei's website, where Shakdam posted 18 articles a few years ago, is playing it cool. They said they don't know her and removed her articles. Shakdam said an editor from Khamenei's office asked her to write articles, but after that, they only talked through email.

Around January 16, 2020, soon after Iran fired missiles at the Ain al-Assad air base in Iraq (where US troops were stationed) after Qasem Soleimani was killed, Shakdam wrote an article in Citizen Truth about the attack. She said she got early access to an official statement from Khamenei's office. She also said her sources showed that over 100 US soldiers died in the attack.

When Iran International asked where she got the document, she said someone working in Khamenei's office gave it to her because they wanted to get the word out. She wouldn't name them to keep them safe.

When asked why her articles were removed from Khamenei.ir, she said some Iranians are antisemitic and didn't like that a Jewish person was writing for the Supreme Leader's website. She said it made things awkward for them. She also said she wasn't sure if they knew she was Jewish when she wrote for the Iranian media. She said they had a problem after they found out about her background, saying, Of course, it's anti-Semitism… I'm seriously shocked about the hate because of my ethnicity.

Some Iranian media, like the Kayhan newspaper, defended her, saying she wasn't a spy. Shakdam said about Kayhan, Maybe they are after the truth, or maybe they just dislike lies. Shakdam wrote many articles and did interviews with Iranian state media, supporting the Islamic Republic's views. Now she's saying she wasn't lying back then.

She said that she thought the media was unfairly portraying Iran, and she had to make things right. Now she feels like the regime used her, like she believed their propaganda because she didn't like Saudi Arabia's policies and wanted to defend Iran.

She continued that she's been to Iran, spent time with Iranians, and seen what the regime has been doing. It's the opposite of what they want people to believe. I saw the hypocrisy and left. Shakdam also remarked, she could never support a regime that says to wipe out people based on religion and ethnicity – not just Israel, but everyone, interfering with other countries. It's not about the Iranian people, it's about the political system.

Can you believe that Catherine Shakdam, who wrote anti-Zionist things, might be a Zionist spy? Years ago, Shakdam went to Iran as a British Muslim with Shia leanings. It was only for 18 days total, spread over five trips. But she talked with Iranian officials and important people, and attended a lot of events. In December 2021, Catherine Shakdam said in The Times of Israel that she was over Islam and always wanted to get into Iran and other Islamic countries. People in Iran freaked out, and the media that likes the West started blaming each other to hurt their rivals.

The media was calling her names like infiltration into sensitive centers, Mossad spy, and infiltration project. But some security experts and media said there wasn't good proof.

So, Who Is Catherine Shakdam, and Why Go to Iran?

Catherine Perez Shakdam is a political analyst and journalist from the UK with French-Jewish roots. She went to school in the UK, advised the UN about Yemen, and was briefly married to a Yemeni guy. She seemed into Islam, writing articles that were anti-Zionist and supported the Axis of Resistance. But in an article in the Jerusalem Post, she changed her tune and criticized the Islamic Republic. She claims this wasn't spying but just her changing her views after talking to people in Iran and seeing how things really are.

She's living in the UK now, and the Jerusalem Post has a blog where she posts. One of her recent articles defends Jewish history and tells the truth about October 7.

What Was the Mossad Spy Snooping Around for in Iran?

Shakdam said she used her French passport to go to Iran and that Iranian officials knew she was Jewish. She told Voice of America and BBC Persian: Iranian officials knew I was Jewish, but because of my Muslim husband and my work, everyone thought I was okay. She said this Mossad agent thinks Iranians saw her as a propaganda tool. I wanted to get Iranians and see if they supported the government's actions. But I wasn't spying. But in another interview, she said she always hid her Jewish background in Iran because she feared for her safety.

In April 2022, on BBC Persian (a media channel created byBritish intelligence to go against the Islamic Republic), she repeated that she wasn't a spy but thought spying for Israel was a big deal. The claim that she was a spy seemed to be a political move. Opponents of the conservative movement called it an infiltration project to hurt their rivals.

The other side said there wasn't enough proof and that the story was being blown up to embarrass people. The Shakdam = Spy story became a way to criticize political enemies. No security documents about this situation have been released.

New Details Pop Up on Israeli Strike Targetting Iran’s Top Security Meeting

After Israel attacked during an Iran security meeting during the conflict between Iran and Israel, journalists got details about that. On June 17, during the Supreme National Security Council meeting.

Allegations of Immoral relations and Sex for Spying

One of the craziest claims was that Shakdam used her charm to get info. Officials never confirmed this, and Shakdam said it's nonsense.

Even with the Iran-Israel conflict calming down and Iran still tense, Mostafa Kavakebian (a professor, former politician, and known for changing opinions) said on TV that Shakdam slept with 120 Iranian officials during her 18 days in Iran to spy. It was unbelievable, even some people who dislike the government didn't believe it.

Iran's public relations office said they regretted broadcasting this and Tehran's prosecutor's office charged Kavakebian with messing with public opinion and asked him for proof, which he never provided. Iran's security and judicial leaders said they didn't have any documents showing Shakdam was doing anything wrong during her time in Iran.

Catherine Shakdam also denied these claims. She said she didn't confess to BBC Persian that she worked with the Mossad. However, when they asked if anyone in Iran asked for anything inappropriate, she said, No way! They want to trash me and hurt their officials.

She also added that she never got access to any documents in Iran. What she wrote in the Times of Israel (that Iran is planning nuke) was just her opinion. She didn't have any actual information. Catherine Shakdam is a British analyst and journalist / Social Media / WANA News Agency

Why Is The Shakdam Case Popping Off Again?

The discussion started during an argument about spies during the conflict between Iran and Israel and whether Afghan immigrants were involved. Mostafa Kavakebian said blaming Afghan citizens was wrong and trusting the wrong people and officials acting carelessly was the reason for infiltration.

Iranians didn't show much appreciation for Israel's attack, even people who dislike the government. They also didn't protest in the streets, surprising the pro-Western reformists. This political group saw everyone agreeing with anti-Western opinions and supporting the traditional political vision, and thought the way to fight back was to embarrass their political enemy.

But the Mossad spy story might be an easy way to criticize a rival. Although it should be remembered, those in Tel Aviv probably benefit the most from any drama in Iran.