Interior Ministry Rejects Hashemi's Claims About 'Arrest of Three Bombers'

On Monday, December 30, the Deputy Security Minister of Iran announced that the statements made by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Chairman of the Expediency Council, regarding the arrest of three individuals who intended to carry out bombings in Qom, Mashhad, and Tehran, are 'not true.' According to Fars News Agency, Hossein Zolfaqari also mentioned that during the Arbaeen period, 'we had threats from across the borders,' and since the beginning of this year, 'there have only been two cases of threats.' However, he did not provide details on these 'threats.' The Deputy Security Minister stated that last year, 'enemies set targets from across the borders, but their operations were neutralized before they could be executed, and their equipment was seized.' On October 21, 2014, Zolfaqari had said that 24 groups intended to enter Iranian territory for 'suicide operations,' but Iranian forces prevented their entry and 'destroyed' two groups before they could enter the country. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani had reported on Sunday at the 'Unity of Seminary and University' conference that three bombings had been neutralized in the cities of Mashhad, Qom, and Tehran, stating that 'recently, three individuals entered from the eastern part of the country intending to bomb during Friday prayers, at the Imam Reza shrine and the Hazrat Masoumeh shrine.' Since last year, reports have emerged regarding potential actions by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iran, and following the terrorist attacks in Paris, Iranian security and police officials have announced their preparedness to deal with these potential threats. After the Paris terrorist attacks, on November 13, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari stated that his country's intelligence service had obtained information indicating that France, the United States, and Iran are among the countries that terrorists intend to target in new attacks. Additionally, Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, the commander of the Army Ground Forces, reported on Wednesday, December 9, that an 'anti-terrorism exercise' would be held by his forces 'in accordance with the threats posed by ISIS' around Tehran. He reiterated on Tuesday that this exercise would take place at the end of January. Earlier, in early December, Hossein Sajedi-Nia, the commander of the Greater Tehran Police, announced an increase in police officers and the presence of special units on the streets of Tehran to conduct 'anti-terrorism' maneuvers and practice countering 'potential threats.'