Mossad’s Master Spy: How Catherine Perez-Shakdam Infiltrated Iran’s Elite
From Khamenei’s inner circle to Israel’s kill list, Catherine Perez-Shakdam’s alleged double life as Mossad’s boldest spy has left Iran humiliated and the intelligence world stunned by one of the most audacious operations in recent memory.
Twitter
A sensational story of espionage has gripped global headlines, with reports alleging that Catherine Perez-Shakdam, a French-born journalist of Jewish descent, infiltrated Iran’s highest echelons as a Mossad agent, orchestrating a covert operation that dealt a severe blow to the Islamic Republic’s security apparatus.
According to multiple sources, including an article published by Organiser on June 26, 2025, Perez-Shakdam’s audacious mission involved years of deception, leveraging her persona as a Shia Muslim convert to gain unprecedented access to Iran’s political, military, and religious elite, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Her alleged activities have sparked a nationwide manhunt in Iran, with authorities executing three men suspected of collaborating with her and issuing public warnings to report suspicious activity.
A Covert Persona Built on Deception
Catherine Perez-Shakdam’s journey into Iran’s inner circles began with a carefully crafted identity. Born into a secular Jewish family in France, with a maternal grandfather who fought in the French Resistance and a paternal grandfather who survived the Holocaust, Perez-Shakdam studied psychology at the University of London, later earning postgraduate degrees in finance and communications. While in London, she married a Yemeni Sunni Muslim, converting to Islam for the marriage, which ended in divorce in 2014. By 2017, she resurfaced in Iran, publicly identifying as a Shia Muslim and expressing intellectual curiosity about the Islamic Republic’s ideology.
Under the guise of a Western journalist, Perez-Shakdam wrote for prominent Iranian outlets, including Tehran Times, Mashregh News, Tasnim News, Mehr News, and even Khamenei.ir, the official website of Iran’s Supreme Leader. Her articles, which often praised the Islamic Revolution and critiqued Western policies, earned her trust among Iran’s elite. She reportedly met with high-ranking figures, including then-presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi in 2017, whom she interviewed for Russia Today, and General Qassem Soleimani, the former head of the IRGC’s Quds Force, in Karbala, Iraq. Her access extended to sensitive locations, including private homes of officials and military personnel, where she allegedly gathered critical intelligence.
According to reports, Perez-Shakdam’s charm and fluency in blending into Iran’s revolutionary circles allowed her to forge close relationships with the wives of officials, military officers, and scholars. These connections reportedly provided her with detailed information about their husbands’ movements, residences, and schedules, which she allegedly relayed to Mossad. Her covert activities included discreetly photographing sensitive locations and collecting classified data, which facilitated precise Israeli strikes on Iranian targets.
A Devastating Blow to Iran’s Security
The Organiser report claims that Perez-Shakdam’s intelligence was instrumental in enabling Israel’s highly accurate attacks on Iranian military and nuclear sites, particularly during the June 2025 offensive. Mossad agents, supported by her information, reportedly smuggled precision-guided weapons and established a drone base near Tehran, targeting air defenses and ballistic missile launchers. These operations crippled Iran’s ability to mount a counterstrike, with key figures like the Armed Forces Chief of Staff, the IRGC Chief of Staff, and the head of the IRGC’s missile and aerospace divisions killed in the strikes.
Iran’s intelligence agencies, caught off-guard, launched an investigation that uncovered Perez-Shakdam’s alleged role. By the time her identity was confirmed, she had vanished, prompting a nationwide manhunt. Posters of her face are now displayed across Iranian cities, and authorities have executed three men accused of aiding her, including one identified as Esmaeil Fekri, who was hanged for allegedly transmitting strategic information to Mossad. Iran’s heightened paranoia has led to mass arrests, with dozens detained on suspicion of espionage, including Afghan refugees, raising concerns from human rights groups about potential pretextual crackdowns on dissenters.
A Controversial Figure and Unanswered Questions
Perez-Shakdam’s story is not without controversy. In a 2022 interview with The Times of Israel, she denied being a Mossad spy, dismissing the allegations as a reaction to her Jewish heritage and her shift away from supporting Iran’s regime. After her divorce, she publicly reconnected with her Jewish identity, identifying as a Zionist and writing for pro-Israel outlets like The Times of Israel. She claimed her earlier work for Iranian media was a phase of “self-hate” and that her presence in Iran was purely journalistic, facilitated by her French nationality and past marriage to a Muslim. However, her 2021 blog post on The Times of Israel, detailing her meetings with Iranian leaders and her access to sensitive information, fueled suspicions in Iran, leading to the removal of all of her articles from state media.
Critics, including Iranian media and a 2022 MintPress News investigation, argue that her work with Wikistrat, an Israeli-American intelligence firm, and her high-level access in Iran suggest deeper ties to Israeli intelligence. While Perez-Shakdam has ridiculed the idea of being a non-Farsi-speaking French citizen recruited by Mossad, historical precedents of foreign-born agents working undercover for Israel lend credibility to the allegations.
Global Reactions and Ongoing Fallout
The revelations have sent shockwaves through Iran, exposing vulnerabilities in its security apparatus. Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed in 2021 that even the head of Iran’s counter-Mossad unit was an Israeli agent, a claim echoed by former Intelligence Minister Ali Younesi’s warning that “Mossad is closer to us than our own ears.” The recent executions and arrests reflect Iran’s desperate attempt to regain control amid fears of further infiltration.
Internationally, the story has been likened to a spy thriller, with outlets like News18, India.com, and Latestly describing Perez-Shakdam’s mission as one of the boldest in Israeli intelligence history. On X, posts have celebrated her as a daring operative, with some calling her “Israel’s Black Lady” or “Lawrence of Persia."
Perez-Shakdam’s current whereabouts are unknown, with speculation that she may have assumed a new identity. Her alleged role as Mossad’s “most adventurous and dangerous spy” has left Iran reeling, its leadership humiliated, and the global intelligence community in awe of the operation’s audacity. As Iran continues its crackdown and Israel remains silent on the matter, the saga of Catherine Perez-Shakdam is a fascinating example of the shadowy, high-stakes world of espionage in Israel's war against Iran.