Iran on Tuesday acknowledged significant damage to several key nuclear sites following Israeli and US airstrikes, though Tehran left the door open for possible talks with Washington over its nuclear program.

The arrests have raised fears that a new wave of repression is coming, as the government seeks to root out spy networks and clamp down on any dissent.

Prospects for negotiations between the United States and Iran on nuclear proliferation have dimmed significantly. Just a few days ago, it seemed the two sides were ready to return to negotiations. But US President Donald Trump then said he was not speaking to Iran and was not offering Tehran anything.