Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says it has dealt a major blow to what it described as mercenary and traitorous elements of separatist terrorist groups in Kordestan province, confiscating weapons, combat equipment and satellite communication devices, authorities announced on Tuesday.

The operation was carried out following precise intelligence monitoring by security forces, News.Az reported, citing Iran’s English-language Press TV.

“Mercenary and traitorous elements of separatist terrorist groups who were planning terrorist acts were struck in an operational blow,” the IRGC’s Hamzeh Seyyed al-Shohada base said in a statement.

During the operation, security forces seized Kalashnikov rifles, pistols, ammunition, hand grenades, forged identification documents and Starlink satellite communication devices.

Four suspects were arrested during the raid.

“The Hamzeh Seyyed al-Shohada base warns treacherous terrorist agents that it is monitoring all movements of terrorist forces with full intelligence oversight, and any thought or action against the security of the north-western region will be met with a decisive and regretful response without leniency,” the statement added.

According to Press TV, Tuesday’s operation is the latest in a long-running campaign by Iranian security forces to dismantle separatist and militant networks operating along the country’s western borders.

Tehran says armed counter-revolutionary groups based in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region stage cross-border attacks and foment unrest inside Iran.

The broadcaster said that since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran on 28 February, Tehran has intensified its campaign against what it calls separatist bases in Iraqi Kurdistan, viewing them as a potential fifth column that could be activated by Washington or Tel Aviv to open a new front.

Iranian officials have repeatedly warned that any country providing such support would be held accountable.

News.Az