Several members of Iran’s Jewish community have been arrested in recent days, purportedly on suspicion that they were involved in the recent mass anti-regime protests, Hebrew outlets reported on Tuesday.

The community has reportedly denied any connection to the demonstrations, saying the arrest of the Jews was a mistake. Iranian Jewish leaders are involved in efforts to have the detainees released, sources close to the community said, according to Kan and Israel Hayom.

The community is trying to show total loyalty to the regime, the sources added.

Contact between Iran’s Jewish community, believed to number some 8,000-10,000, and the outside world is generally sparse, easily leading to misunderstanding, experts say. Communication lines are often tapped, and direct contact with Israel is strictly prohibited by the Iranian regime, which frequently vows to destroy the Jewish state, so much of what is known is filtered through “official” Iranian channels. That makes it difficult to gauge the community’s real sentiments.

Jews in Iran, the largest community of Jews in the Middle East outside of Israel,........

© The Times of Israel