ROME — Seven people accused of selling arms to Iran via several countries in Europe have been arrested in Italy, the police in Milan said Wednesday.

Two are Iranians living in Italy, one of them an accredited television journalist, and five are Italians, the authorities said. Two more Iranian suspects remain at large. The Iranians are suspected of being spies.

Italy’s veteran counterterrorism prosecutor, Armando Spataro, said at a news conference in Milan on Wednesday that a nine-month investigation, including intercepted phone conversations and e-mail messages, indicated that the group was trafficking in weapons to Iran despite an arms embargo.

Mr. Spataro said that the British, Swiss and Romanian authorities had joined the investigation and that shipments of materials had been intercepted, including 1,000 rifle scopes. The authorities also said the operation stopped explosives from being shipped to Iran, according to the Italian media.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/world/europe/04italy.html?pagewanted=print