Anti-Terrorism Drill Conducted at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport

Following reports of gunfire at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport, the Deputy Security Governor of Tehran announced that an anti-terrorism drill was held in Terminal 4 of the airport on Saturday morning. According to Mohsen Hamdani, armed forces conducted a 'limited internal drill' at the airport. He stated that the sound of gunfire was related to this drill and that 'there is no cause for concern'. Hamdani mentioned that following two 'terrorist' incidents in Tehran, security and military forces have been conducting drills, and Saturday's drill aimed to 'increase readiness to counter terrorist actions' around Mehrabad Airport. Several websites reported that gunfire was heard in Terminal 4 of the airport. Images and videos shared by passengers and airport staff indicated that neither passengers nor airport employees were aware of the drill, creating an atmosphere of fear and panic in one of the terminals. Subsequently, the ISNA news agency quoted an unnamed 'informed source' stating that the drill was conducted without prior notice and 'suddenly' so that 'security forces could be tested effectively and simulate conditions'. This source and the Deputy Security Governor did not clarify whether all security forces inside Terminal 4 were aware of the drill. Reports indicate that Terminal 4 is designated for domestic flight departures, but according to the airport's flight announcement website, no flights were scheduled from this terminal on Saturday morning. On June 7, 17 people were killed and over 50 injured in two attacks on the Parliament and the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini. Following these incidents, criticisms were raised regarding the performance of the Parliament's security and security forces. For instance, Masoud Pezeshkian, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, criticized the 'shortcomings' of the Parliament's security, stating, 'It is unacceptable that three or even 30 people could easily enter this system; they should not have been able to bring weapons into Parliament easily, and we expected the system to stand against them.' Meanwhile, Alireza Rahimi, a Tehran representative, announced on June 20 that the commander of the Parliament's security had been changed. The Ansar al-Mahdi Guard Corps, a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is responsible for protecting officials and sensitive sites of the Islamic Republic, including the Parliament. Since 1984, a unit known as the 'Aviation Security Guard Corps' has been tasked with preventing hijackings and ensuring the security of certain parts of Iran's airports. The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attacks on June 7 in Tehran. In 2015, some Iranian military officials reported conducting drills to potentially counter this group. For instance, Ahmadreza Pourdastan, then-commander of the Army Ground Forces, stated that an 'anti-terrorism exercise' was held around Tehran 'in line with the threats' posed by the Islamic State. Prior to that, reports had emerged about police presence at metro stations and inspections of certain individuals. Meanwhile, Hossein Sajedi-Nia, the commander of Greater Tehran's police, stated on December 7, 2015, that the increase in police officers and the presence of special units in Tehran's streets were due to conducting 'anti-terrorism drills' and practicing for 'potential threats'.