Iran's Minister of Intelligence Reports Arrest of a 'ISIS' Team in Southwest Iran

Mahmoud Alavi, Iran's Minister of Intelligence, announced on Tuesday, July 17, in Zanjan, the arrest of a 'ISIS terrorist team' in southwest Iran. According to the Tasnim news agency, the Minister explained that 'a four-member team was formed around an individual whose brother was a member of ISIS in Syria and was killed there.' Alavi stated that these individuals intended to join ISIS after forming a group in Iran, and they were identified and arrested by intelligence agents on Monday, July 16. Alavi added that 'the Emir of ISIS instructed them to remain in Iran.' He claimed that the 'Emir of ISIS' told them, 'Today, jihadist actions are more important than migration; stay in Iran, procure weapons and resources, plan, and if you cannot act in your province, carry out your actions in Shiraz and Isfahan.' He further noted that despite having 'explosives and resources,' they were identified, and in addition to them, 'three of their associates' were also arrested and are currently undergoing information extraction. It appears that the individual referred to by the Minister as 'a member of ISIS who was killed in Syria' is Hatam Marmuzi, who has been identified by IRGC-affiliated media as a member of the Islamic State. However, Mahmoud Alavi did not mention the name of Hatam Marmuzi, his brother, or other detainees. In June of this year, conflicting reports about Hatam Marmuzi's death were published, with several Persian-language media outlets outside Iran introducing him as an 'Arab cultural activist' who died in Iranian prisons. Meanwhile, IRGC-affiliated media identified him as a member of 'ISIS' who was reportedly killed by 'Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham' in Syria. Reports from Tasnim and Fars news agencies, both close to the IRGC, about Mr. Marmuzi were published after one of his relatives informed the media about his death in Ahvaz prison. Mahmoud Alavi, in part of his remarks on Tuesday regarding the individual who 'was a member of ISIS in Syria and was killed there,' provided explanations without naming him. Alavi referred to individuals who previously attempted to show that this person was killed inside Iran as 'a bunch of ignorant people' and added that 'fortunately, this plot was quickly thwarted, and it became clear that this Takfiri individual was killed in Syria.' Previously, Faisal Marmuzi, who introduced himself as 'the cousin and brother-in-law' of Hatam Marmuzi, stated in interviews with foreign media that his cousin was 'abducted' by the Ahvaz Intelligence Department in Susangerd during Ramadan in 2017, but this department denied the matter in response to repeated inquiries from his family. According to him, after the release of an individual who had seen Hatam Marmuzi in prison and contacted Hatam's family, they again approached the Ahvaz Intelligence Department, but the agents, after receiving a photo of Hatam, informed his family that such a person did not exist in prison. As Faisal Marmuzi stated, 'the Ahvaz Intelligence Department' contacted Hatam's father and informed him of his son's death in prison without providing further explanation. According to his statements, 'Hatam Marmuzi's body was also not handed over to his family, and the Ahvaz Intelligence Department told them that they would inform them of the burial location afterward.' Faisal Marmuzi stated that his cousin was '20 years old' and claimed that 'he had been arrested twice before' and had developed 'color blindness' due to 'torture' at the age of 15. Meanwhile, Tasnim news agency published several images of Hatam Marmuzi holding a 'weapon,' stating that he was a member of the Iranian 'ISIS' group who was killed in an attack by members of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham - an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. This news agency, in an article titled 'Was Hatam Marmuzi a Human Rights Activist?' wrote that he was engaged in 'military training' in Idlib, Syria, and was killed in an attack by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham led by 'Abu Muhammad al-Julani' on one of ISIS's training centers. According to this report, another Iranian named 'Hadi Saeedi,' who reportedly 'joined ISIS some time ago,' was among the captives of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham in the attack on Tuesday. Tasnim did not provide further details about Saeedi or the source of this information. Simultaneously, Javad Karimi Qodosi, a member of the National Security Commission of the Parliament, told Tasnim on Tuesday, 'During the Khorramshahr protests, the movements of 30 members of an armed terrorist group, who were armed and intended to carry out armed operations on behalf of the Saudis, were thwarted.' He did not provide evidence regarding the connection of these individuals with 'the Saudis,' but stated that last year a base was established with the presence of the U.S., Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization 'in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, to lead the disturbances of January in Iran.' Several news outlets in the U.S. and Israel reported on Tuesday, July 3, about the formation of a joint committee by the governments of the two countries to 'increase pressure from within' on the Islamic Republic. Channel 10 of Israeli television quoted an Israeli official explaining that the purpose of forming this committee was 'not regime change,' but 'to leverage internal pressures in Iran to compel the Ayatollahs to change their behavior.' It is unclear whether the '30 individuals' mentioned by this parliament member are related to the news of the arrest of the 'terrorist team' referred to by the Minister of Intelligence on the same day, or if these two news items are unrelated. Some residents of Abadan and Khorramshahr organized protests and marches in the first two weeks of July against the salinity and water cuts in these cities, during which slogans were chanted against provincial officials and national authorities. Some of these gatherings turned violent with police intervention, and several protesters were arrested. Following this, protests and marches in support of the residents of Khorramshahr and Abadan also took place in other cities in Khuzestan province.