Police Commander: The Conspiracy of Groups Attempting to Violate Iran's Borders Has Been Foiled

Hosseini Ashtari, the commander of Iran's police force, stated on Saturday that the conspiracy of "Takfiri, Salafi, anti-revolutionary groups and those intending to violate the borders, beyond the borders or near the borders of the country, has been foiled." According to the IRNA news agency, Ashtari emphasized during a joint morning ceremony at the police headquarters that "given the insecurity in some countries and instability at certain borders, our duty to protect the borders is doubled, and we must monitor the borders so that no group can attempt to violate them." The police commander did not provide further details regarding the timing of the foiling of this "conspiracy." He also reported the arrest of several "terrorist and criminal groups at the eastern and western borders of the country with intelligence oversight," stating that these groups were identified, arrested, and eventually handed over to judicial authorities. Iranian officials have previously reported several times about the detention of "terrorist" groups in Iran without providing details. The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence had also stated on August 4 of this year that there are many operational and ideological similarities between members of these Takfiri groups in Iran and the Islamic State (ISIS). On the same date, Iranian judicial officials announced the execution of twenty individuals accused of carrying out "terrorist actions." This event sparked widespread protests from human rights organizations, which described the trial process of the accused as "unfair" and claimed that the confessions of the accused were obtained under torture. Iranian security officials reported on Tuesday, August 16, that two clashes occurred between intelligence, security, and police forces in Kermanshah province and teams "affiliated with ISIS" in this province, announcing that four individuals associated with the Islamic State (ISIS) were killed and six others were arrested in these clashes. Hossein Zolfaqari, the Deputy Security Minister, also stated without providing details that one of the deceased in this clash was "a high-ranking member of the Takfiri movement in Iraq." The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence also announced on June 21 that several bombings planned by "Wahhabi Takfiri groups" in Tehran and several other provinces had been foiled, and several individuals were arrested in this regard.