Iran's Minister of Intelligence: Enemy's Sabotage and Explosive Plans Neutralized

The Iranian Minister of Intelligence stated on September 1 that the "sabotage and anti-security plans" of intelligence organizations he referred to as the "enemy" have been neutralized in various regions of Iran to prevent "unrest and explosions." According to the official Iranian news agency IRNA, Mahmoud Alavi mentioned in the Assembly of Experts that the intelligence organizations of the "enemy" intended to carry out "explosions and create unrest" in different parts of Iran. Domestic media that reported his statements did not specify any particular country. The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Kermanshah reported a day before these statements that individuals labeled as "anti-revolutionary" were killed and injured in border areas of the province with Iraq. On September 1, he stated that during "cleansing" operations in some border areas between Iran and Iraq, several individuals deemed "anti-revolutionary" were killed and injured. In recent weeks, Iranian security and military officials have reported on operations and clashes with armed groups, mainly in western Iran. Some reports have mentioned the deaths of several members of the Basij or IRGC. Alavi himself had previously referred to the "neutralization" of what he called "the enemy's plots" against Iran. Less than a week prior, he stated in Arak that "the enemy is trying to harm the country and government in various ways," but the forces of the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Intelligence "have dealt them a blow." No details were provided in those remarks either. In another part of his speech, the Minister of Intelligence said that "interaction" with Sunni clerics in Iran has prevented the "recruitment of Sunni individuals to ISIS and Takfiri groups." The group known as the "Islamic State" (ISIS) controls parts of Iraq and Syria. Iran has directly supported the central government of Iraq in fighting this group and has provided military and weaponry assistance to the army and the forces of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Tehran has repeatedly accused foreign intelligence organizations, especially Israel and the United States, of interference, conducting terrorist operations, or plotting against Iran. On the other hand, Iran itself is accused of supporting certain militia groups, interfering in the affairs of regional countries, and conducting operations outside its borders. In this context, the commander of the IRGC in Kermanshah reported clashes in the border areas of the province. The Minister of Intelligence apologized for misquoting Ali Khamenei.