Commander: ISIL Never Dares to Threaten Iran

A senior border guard commander on Saturday emphasized his forces’ full preparedness to defend Iran’s Western borders, and said the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group doesn’t dare to attack the country.
“There is no problem at the country’s borders and Iranian borders enjoy full security,” Commander of the Western province of Kermanshah’s Border Guards Brigadier General Kiumars Sheikhi told FNA on Saturday.

He downplayed the military power of the terrorist groups, specially the ISIL, in the region, and said the foreign media have attempted to exaggerate their power.

“The ISIL doesn’t dare to approach the Islamic Republic of Iran’s borders and is too small to make a move against us,” Sheikhi underlined.

“The Iranian military and Law Enforcement forces are prepared to give a crushing response to any threatening move against the security of our bordering areas,” he added.

Meantime, Kermanshah deputy Governor-General for Political and Security Affairs Ayatollah Razmi announced today that any ISIL move against Iran will be responded “in the depth of 60 km”, but he did not mention if he meant before or after crossing the border.

In relevant remarks in August, Iranian Interior Ministry Spokesman Hossein Ali Amiri reiterated full control over the country’s borders, and said the terrorists active in Iraq, including the ISIL, did not dare to pose a threat to Iran.

“Given the regional conditions, good measures have been planned for the common borders with the neighboring countries, specially Iraq,” Amiri said.

Stressing the good and secure conditions at Iran’s borders, he underlined that no specific threat was posed to the country’s borders.

Amiri said Iran’s border was not under the threat of the ISIL, and added, “This lack of concern doesn’t mean a lack of vigilance as the current conditions necessitate us to be precise and vigilant.”

A month earlier in June, Commander of the Iranian Border Guards Units General Hossein Zolfaqari announced that his forces had intensified security measures along the country’s Western borders with Iraq in a bid to prepare for any unexpected conditions.

“All the possible outcomes for any type of activity along the country’s Western borders have been studied and we are prepared for confronting any possible conditions,” General Zolfaqari said.

He noted that some Iraqi citizens might look for a safe haven in Iran due to inclement conditions in their country, “and we have offered some proposals to the officials in this regard”.

Also in June, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned of Iran’s tough confrontation with the ISIL or any other terrorist group which might come close to the Iranian borders, and said, “If a terrorist group approaches our borders, we will definitely confront it, because our duty is defending our territorial integrity and national interests.”

Yet, Rouhani rejected alleged reports on the deployment of Iranian troops in Iraq, but said Tehran was ready to help its Western neighbor in its war on terrorists based on the international laws if requested by Baghdad.

“We, as the Islamic Republic, are Iraq’s friend and neighbor and have good relations with the Iraqi government and nation,” Rouhani told reporters in a press conference in Tehran.

“If the Iraqi government wants help, we will study it; of course no demand has yet been raised until today but we are ready for help within the framework of the international laws and at the request of the Iraqi nation,” he added.

“Of course, we should know that help and assistance is one issue, and interference and entrance (into the battlefield) is another. If the Iraqi government demands us we will help them, but the entrance of the Iranian troops (onto the scene of battles in Iraq) has never been considered,” the president said.