In the high-stakes arena of Middle Eastern geopolitics, few stories have captured global attention like that of Catherine Perez-Shakdam. A French-born journalist and political analyst of Jewish descent, Shakdam has been accused of orchestrating one of the most audacious espionage operations in recent history, allegedly infiltrating Iran’s political and media circles on behalf of Israel’s Mossad. Her story, marked by claims of deception, religious conversion, and access to Iran’s elite, has sparked a firestorm of debate, with some portraying her as a master spy and others dismissing the allegations as a smear campaign. As Iran reels from intelligence failures during the 12-day Iran-Israel conflict in June 2025, Shakdam’s case has resurfaced, raising critical questions about trust, security, and the murky interplay of ideology and espionage.
From Paris to Tehran: Shakdam’s Early Journey
Born in 1982 into a secular Jewish family in France, Catherine Perez-Shakdam’s background is rooted in a complex heritage. Her maternal grandfather fought Nazis during the occupation of France, and her paternal grandfather was a Holocaust survivor. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and two master’s degrees in finance and communications from the University of London. During her studies, she met and married a Yemeni man, converting to Sunni Islam and later claiming to adopt Shia Islam, a move that would later play a pivotal role in her access to Iran. The couple divorced in 2014, and Shakdam has since identified as a Zionist Jew, a shift that has fueled suspicions about her motives.
Shakdam’s early career included work with Wikistrat, an Israeli geostrategic analysis firm, and contributions to outlets like The Huffington Post, BBC Arabic, BBC Persian, and The Times of Israel. Between 2015 and 2017, she wrote for Iranian state-affiliated media, including Press TV, Tasnim News, Mehr News, and even Khamenei.ir, the English-language website of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Her articles often adopted an anti-Zionist tone, aligning with Iran’s ideological narrative, which earned her invitations to state-backed conferences and interviews with senior officials, including then-presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi in 2017.
Alleged Infiltration: A Masterclass in Deception?
Shakdam’s presence in Iran, particularly between 2014 and 2018, has been described by some as a calculated infiltration. According to reports in outlets like JFeed and India.com, she leveraged her French passport, marriage to a Muslim man, and public conversion to Shia Islam to gain the trust of Iran’s political and media elite. She reportedly attended high-profile events, such as the “Horizon of the New” conference, and built relationships with figures like Nader Talebzadeh, a prominent Iranian propagandist. Her writings for Khamenei.ir and interviews on Press TV positioned her as a sympathetic Western voice, granting her access to sensitive circles.
In a 2021 blog post for The Times of Israel, Shakdam revealed her Jewish heritage and claimed she had “walked into the belly of the Beast” to understand Iran’s regime. She described being invited by Iranian officials who saw her as a propaganda tool, unaware of her true motivations. This revelation sparked outrage in Iran, with media outlets and Telegram channels linked to former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accusing her of being a Mossad operative who had infiltrated the highest levels of government.
The Explosive Allegations: Espionage and Personal Relationships
The most sensational claims against Shakdam surfaced in July 2025, when former Iranian MP Mostafa Kavakebian, during a televised debate, alleged that she had sexual relationships with 120 Iranian officials to extract sensitive information for Israel. This claim, made in the context of Iran’s intelligence failures during the 2025 Iran-Israel war, was met with immediate skepticism. Iran’s state broadcaster and judiciary swiftly dismissed the accusations as “obscene and false,” and Tehran’s prosecutor filed charges against Kavakebian for “disturbing public opinion.” No evidence was provided to support his claims, and even reformist figures in Iran refused to endorse them.
Shakdam denied these allegations in interviews with BBC Persian and Voice of America, stating that no Iranian official ever proposed inappropriate relationships. She emphasized that her interactions were professional and that her Jewish background was known to some officials, though she hid it from others out of fear for her safety. Iranian security agencies, including the judiciary, have stated that no documents or reports indicate immoral behavior or espionage by Shakdam during her time in Iran.
The Alleged Meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei
One of the most contentious claims is Shakdam’s assertion that she met Ayatollah Khamenei in 2017. In interviews with Iran International and The Jewish Chronicle, she described a brief encounter in Tehran, possibly during a state-backed conference, where she exchanged greetings with the Supreme Leader. She portrayed the interaction as formal and fleeting, noting that she was advised not to make eye contact and felt intimidated by his presence. However, she also claimed in a 2024 Iran International podcast that the meeting occurred in Karbala, Iraq, a detail that contradicts the known fact that Khamenei does not travel abroad due to security concerns. This inconsistency has led Iranian outlets like Fars News to dismiss her claims as exaggerations, while Khamenei.ir clarified that Shakdam had no direct connection with the office, only contributing articles through media activists.
The 2025 Iran-Israel Conflict and Shakdam’s Alleged Role
The 12-day Iran-Israel conflict in June 2025, described as Operation Rising Lion by some sources, brought Shakdam’s name back into the spotlight. Outlets like News18 and Zee News reported that she played a pivotal role in providing intelligence to Israel, enabling precise strikes on Iranian military commanders, nuclear sites, and air defenses. These reports claim she collected data by befriending the wives of officials, photographing sensitive locations, and mapping the movements of Revolutionary Guard commanders. The operation reportedly resulted in the deaths of nearly 15 senior commanders, prompting Iran to launch a nationwide manhunt for Shakdam, who had allegedly vanished days before the strikes.
However, these claims lack corroboration from primary sources. Iranian authorities have not publicly confirmed Shakdam’s involvement, and her own statements deny any espionage activities. In a 2022 Times of Israel interview, she dismissed the spy allegations as reactions to her Jewish heritage and her shift away from supporting Iran’s regime. Critics, including Iranian security expert Fouad Sadeghi, argue that the accusations reflect a tendency to scapegoat individuals to cover up systemic security flaws.
Social Media and Rumors: A Firestorm of Speculation
On platforms like X, Shakdam’s story has fueled intense speculation. Posts in Persian, Arabic, and English have amplified claims of her being a “Mossad master spy,” with some users sharing unverified images of her with Iranian officials or alleging her involvement in assassinations. Others have dismissed these as propaganda, pointing to the lack of evidence and the political motivations behind the accusations, particularly from Ahmadinejad’s supporters. The absence of concrete proof has not stopped the spread of rumors, with hashtags like #CatherineShakdam and #MossadSpy trending sporadically in 2025. These discussions often blend fact with fiction, complicating efforts to discern the truth.
Critical Analysis: Spy or Scapegoat?
The narrative surrounding Shakdam is riddled with contradictions. On one hand, her access to Iranian media and officials, combined with her later pro-Israel stance, lends credence to suspicions of espionage. Her work with Wikistrat and her leadership role at We Believe in Israel since 2024 further fuel these claims. On the other hand, the lack of verifiable evidence, coupled with Iran’s swift dismissal of Kavakebian’s allegations, suggests that Shakdam may be a convenient scapegoat for Iran’s intelligence failures. The sensational nature of the claims—particularly those involving personal relationships—appears designed to discredit both Shakdam and the Iranian officials who engaged with her.
Iranian media, such as Tasnim and Kayhan, have argued that the Shakdam saga exposes vulnerabilities in Iran’s vetting processes, while reformists like Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi have criticized the hysteria as a distraction from addressing real security breaches. Meanwhile, Shakdam’s own narrative—that she entered Iran out of curiosity and later rejected its ideology—raises questions about whether her actions were opportunistic or part of a deliberate intelligence operation.
Broader Implications for Iran and Beyond
The Shakdam case underscores the challenges facing Iran’s security apparatus in an era of heightened tensions with Israel. The 2025 conflict exposed gaps in Iran’s counterintelligence, prompting crackdowns on suspected spies, including Afghan refugees, and raising concerns about human rights violations. It also highlights the power of media narratives in shaping public perception, as both Iran and its adversaries use Shakdam’s story to advance their agendas. For the international community, her case serves as a reminder of the complex interplay between journalism, ideology, and espionage in modern conflicts.
Conclusion
Catherine Perez-Shakdam remains an enigma—a journalist whose journey from Tehran’s conference halls to the headlines of espionage thrillers has captivated and divided observers. While some see her as a cunning Mossad operative who outwitted Iran’s elite, others view her as a misunderstood analyst caught in a web of political rivalries. Without concrete evidence, her true role may never be fully known. What is clear, however, is that her story has exposed deep-seated anxieties in Iran’s security landscape and sparked a global conversation about trust, deception, and the high stakes of intelligence warfare.
For now, Shakdam’s whereabouts remain unknown, and her legacy—whether as a spy or a scapegoat—continues to shape the narrative of Iran-Israel relations. As investigations continue and new details emerge, AsiaNewsIran will keep readers updated on this unfolding saga.