Three Iranian Security and Military Officials: Attacks on ISIS Were Approved by the Supreme National Security Council

The Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran emphasized that the IRGC's missile attack on ISIS positions was conducted with the approval of the Supreme National Security Council, and the Minister of Defense referred to claims that this attack was not coordinated with the council and the government as 'mistaken and mischievous.' According to ISNA news agency, Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, stated on Friday, June 22, during the 'Quds Day' rally that the IRGC's missile attack against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria was carried out 'with the will' of the Supreme Leader and the approval of the Supreme National Security Council. He reminded that the decisions of the Supreme National Security Council must be confirmed by the Supreme Leader. Meanwhile, Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran, also stated that the execution of this operation was 'proposed by the IRGC and the armed forces, and the Supreme National Security Council welcomed it.' He emphasized that the decision regarding this attack was made 'according to the hierarchy of the armed forces' and under the command of the Supreme Leader. Baqeri called for discussions on this matter to cease. Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan also described the claims regarding the 'lack of coordination' of this attack with the government and the Supreme National Security Council as 'mistaken and mischievous.' Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, announced on June 20 that the Supreme National Security Council had made decisions regarding the missile attack against the Islamic State. However, a day later, the IRGC stated in a statement that this missile operation was conducted 'in the military hierarchy and with the coordination of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and under the command' of the Supreme Leader. Mahmoud Alavi, the Minister of Intelligence, also stated that information regarding the Islamic State's headquarters was provided to the IRGC by his ministry. Nevertheless, the IRGC announced in its statement that 'all stages of identification and information gathering' were carried out by this institution itself. However, the Minister of Intelligence reiterated on Friday that he had not said anything 'contrary' and that his previous statements on this matter were correct. In response to the IRGC's statement, Hamid Abutalebi, the political deputy of the President's office, wrote on Twitter that 'no important decision has been made in the country unless it has been discussed and adopted in the Supreme National Security Council; from the destruction of the hypocrite terrorists in Iraq to the ISIS terrorists in Syria.' The term 'hypocrite terrorists' in Abutalebi's tweet may refer to the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization. The implicit reference by the political deputy of the Iranian President to the missile attack on the Mojahedin-e Khalq camp in previous years comes while the Islamic Republic has not accepted responsibility for these attacks. In rocket attacks on the Liberty Camp in Iraq in previous years, several members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq were killed. Abutalebi also wrote: 'The missile is the same missile, and the airplane is the same airplane. The foreign operations are the same foreign operations. The powerful attack is the same powerful attack, and the Supreme National Security Council is the same Supreme National Security Council. The President is responsible and the guarantor of the Constitution and the head of the Supreme National Security Council; after this glorious election, let us not break the majesty of the Constitution.' The IRGC's missile attack against the Islamic State (ISIS) came after the attacks on June 7 against the Iranian Parliament and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini in Tehran. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for these attacks, which left 17 dead and over 50 injured. Military and political officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran have described the missile attacks on Deir ez-Zor province in Syria as 'successful.' Meanwhile, Haaretz newspaper, citing Israeli military officials, reported that only two of the seven Iranian missiles hit their intended targets. In this context, the IRGC threatened ISIS with continued missile attacks in retaliation for the Tehran attacks. A member of parliament stated that 40 ISIS members were arrested in West Azerbaijan province. Rouhani defended the IRGC's missile attack as completely correct, appropriate, and necessary. Two weeks after the Tehran attacks, 'the commander of the protection of the Parliament was changed.' The IRGC reacted to Rouhani's statements, stating that the missile operation was carried out at the order of the leader. The IRGC also announced the destruction of a 'terrorist team' in Kurdistan.