Iran to Act if Terrorists Continue Presence in Pakistan

If activities of terrorists situated in Pakistani soil continue, Iran has the right to confront them and make necessary decisions, said Chief of General Staff of Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri.

“If, for whatever reason, the activities of the training centers and shelters of terrorist groups in Pakistan continue, Iran has the right to fight these centers based on UN Charter and will adopt related decisions if required,” he told reporters on the sideline of an event in Qom on Monday.

He noted that Pakistan bears the responsibility of fighting the so-called Jaish ul-Adl terrorist group in its soil, adding, “secret and semi-secret training camps have been created and equipped by terrorist groups in Pakistan with the money of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to create insecurity inside Iran.”

Baqeri went on to say that ‘serious’ talks have been started between Iran and Pakistan in this regard, noting, “our demand from the Pakistani authorities is to either clear the territories of the terrorist groups themselves or allow the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces to enter the field and fight these groups.”

He also said that Pakistani Army has launched an operation in its Baluchistan region on Sunday but he cast doubt on the effectiveness of such measures, adding that this is why the two countries continue their dialogue to establish stable security in the region.

The suicide attack, which targeted a bus carrying Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps personnel, claimed the lives of 27 people and injured dozens of others in southeastern Iran. The so-called Jaish ul-Adl terror group, which is based across the border in Pakistan and is responsible for kidnapping Iranian border guards and carrying out other terrorist attacks of this kind in Zahedan over the past years, claimed responsibility for the Wednesday attack.

Also, in a meeting with Armed Forces personnel of Qom province on Monday, Bagheri noted, “no power dares attack the country,” while describing Iran’s security as “unique”.

“Today, complete security along the borders of the country has been established, and the military and defense power of Iran has reached a point that it can respond to any threat hundreds of kilometers away from its borders,” he added.