TEHERAN (AFP) - Iran announced on Thursday (April 21) the arrest of three people it said were linked to Israel's Mossad spy agency and accused of being implicated in the leaking of classified documents.

"Three people linked to Mossad have been arrested in the province of Sistan-Baluchistan over the publication of classified information and documents," the intelligence ministry said, quoted by state television.

Bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, Sistan-Baluchistan is a poverty-stricken south-eastern region of Iran that is often the scene of attacks or clashes between security forces and armed groups.

The television report did not identify those arrested or explain their involvement in the handling of classified information.

Iran accuses its regional arch foe Israel of being behind acts of sabotage against its nuclear facilities and assassinations of top scientists involved in its atomic programme.

The Jewish state claims it netted a treasure trove of Iranian nuclear documents during a Mossad operation on a Teheran warehouse in 2018.

Iran's intelligence ministry said in July that it had arrested agents who were members of a "network" working for Israel and that it had seized a cache of weapons intended for use in "riots".

Thursday's report comes amid stalled efforts to revive a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers that gave Iran relief from sanctions in return for curbs on its activities.

On Monday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned Israel against the "slightest action" against the Islamic republic, during a speech to the military.