Iran said it has arrested seven suspects who were involved in the wave of protests conducted by the opposition following last year’s election outcome.

State media said Sunday that some of the suspects were involved in planning a demonstration for February 11, when the Islamic Republic marks the 31^st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. It was also alleged the suspects had been hired by U.S. intelligence agencies to cause disturbances, and were also linked to a U.S. funded Fars radio station.
 

Iran’s state media alleged some of the suspects were trained outside of Iran in sabotage, and initiating disturbances in an effort to overthrow the government.
 

The official IRNA news agency and Iran's state radio both cited an Intelligence Ministry statement saying the suspects played a role in violent anti-government demonstrations in Tehran on Dec. 27. On that day, at least eight people were killed and hundreds were arrested during clashes between opposition supporters and security forces.
 

Some officials said the arrests may be part of government efforts to discredit the opposition.
 

The U.S.-sponsored Radio Farda, meaning "Radio Tomorrow," is Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Farsi-language service. The station, which has bases in Prague, Czech Republic, and Washington, D.C., has been broadcasting since 2003.

RFE/RL's spokesman in Prague, Julian Knapp, expressed concern over the arrests, but said the station has no independent confirmation of them. "Since the contested elections last June, there has been a harsh crackdown on independent media and civil society in Iran," Knapp said in a statement. "These arrests seem to be the latest evidence of this increasing pressure on media and the freedom of expression."

(AP contributed to this report)