Iran spy chief: Security forces under pressure from terrorist groups

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Iranian security forces have arrested dozens of people with links to terrorist groups, said the country’s intelligence minister on Tuesday, adding that Tehran has faced serious security challenges since joining the Syrian war.

Mahmoud Alavi, Iran’s intelligence minister told reporters at a press conference in Tehran that more than 14 people were arrested in the country’s southern Dezful city who had attacked a Shiite religious ceremony.

He added that “10 other members of a terrorist group” who were active in Iran’s eastern Sistan and Balochistan as well as Tehran were also picked up by the security forces.

According to Alavi the security forces had stopped around 20 persons at Iran’s borders en route to Iraq and Syria.

The intelligence minister said that a raid on a terrorist cell in the city of Sousangard had led to serious confrontations against the security forces with casualties on both sides.

He accused “some backward countries in the region” of supporting the “terrorists”.

Alavi told reporters that due to Iran and Russia’s participation in the war in Syria its security forces were facing serious pressure from what he called terrorist groups.

Alavi praised Iran’s vigilant security forces for stopping all terrorist attacks.

“While in countries like Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, France and Turkey bombings have taken place and people lost their lives, the vigilance of Imam’s unknown soldiers have foiled all terrorist targets in Iran,” he was quoted by IRNA news agency as saying.