Iran Discovers Two More Terrorist Groups

Officials in Tehran announced on Saturday that security and intelligence forces have traced and dismantled two terrorist groups in Iran’s bordering provinces in the Southeast and Northwest.

“Following a series of intelligence operations by security forces in cooperation with the brave people settling along the country’s Eastern borders, a team of terrorists were dismantled in the Southeastern Sistan and Balouchestain province,” Iran’s Deputy Intelligence Minister for Domestic Security said on Saturday.

The deputy minister, who was speaking to the state-run TV, indicated that the terrorists have been sent to the country by the US and certain regional reactionary states, and said they had “10 ready-to-blast bombing devices made of 150kg of explosive materials” and “intended to disrupt security along the roads in the bordering region between Rask and Iranshahr” in Sistan and Balouchestan province.

He also said that the intelligence ministry traced and dismantled another terrorist cell in the Northwestern province of West Azarbaijan, adding that the terrorists were affiliated to “anti-revolutionary groups and infiltrated the country to stage terror and sabotage operations”.

The official explained that the terrorists had also staged terror attacks on the lives of teachers and government employees.

Iranian Intelligence Minister Seyed Mahmoud Alavi disclosed on Tuesday that the country’s intelligence and security bodies had cracked down on 10 ISIL cells who were preparing to wage a wave of terrorist attacks across the country last month.

“The ISIL is a protégé of the US and Israel,” Alavi said, and added, “Thanks to its vigilance and full intelligence superiority, the Islamic Republic of Iran has blocked any move by them in such a way that more than 10 terrorist cells were discovered and dismantled in the (lunar) month of Moharram (October 15-November 12).”

The intelligence minister, who was addressing Muslim scholars in the Western Kurdistan province, reiterated that the present security is the result of cooperation of security, intelligence, military bodies (Army and IRGC) and the judiciary, and said, “Many of the enemies’ plots have been defused in cooperation with people.”

Moharram is the first month of the year on the lunar calendar and marks worldwide Shiite mournings on the martyrdom anniversary of their third Imam and grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), Imam Hossein Ibn Ali (AS).

A day later on Wednesday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) also declared in a statement that it had seized a substantial stockpile of weaponry and military equipment following a raid in the Western province of Kermanshah, dismantling a terrorist group during the raid.

The public relations office of Kermanshah province’s Nabi Akram Corps announced in the statement that the IRGC and security forces’ intelligence and efforts resulted in capturing members of a terrorist team in the province’s bordering areas.

“During the operations to disband the terrorist team, some military equipment was also seized,” the statement added.

Iraq’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari informed last Sunday that his country had alerted Iran, France and the US of imminent terrorist attacks by ISIL in these countries before the Paris blasts and shootings took place.