Iran's Deputy FM Gharibabadi tells AnewZ Tehran did not target Azerbaijan after Nakhchivan strikes
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, in an exclusive interview with Anewz on Thursday, said the Islamic Republic did not target ...
Iran's intelligence ministry said on Thursday that it had targeted positions belonging to "separatist groups" attempting to enter the country through its western borders, adding that the militants sustained heavy losses during the security operations.
According to the ministry, the operations were carried out in coordination with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The targeted groups are believed to include Iranian Kurdish opposition militias such as the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan and the Komala Party. These organisations have operated for decades from bases in the neighbouring Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
In recent months, the groups have reportedly formed a unified coalition aimed at challenging the government in Tehran.
The border clashes come amid reports that Kurdish militias have recently held consultations with the U.S. Sources familiar with the matter said the discussions focused on whether, and how, to organise attacks against Iranian security forces stationed in western provinces.
Military and intelligence analysts say the U.S. and Israel may be exploring options to arm exiled opposition groups as a way to stretch Tehran’s military resources. Such a strategy could open a new ground insurgency while Iran’s armed forces confront an ongoing campaign of aerial bombardment.
In a statement carried by state media, Iran’s intelligence ministry said its forces were cooperating successfully with what it described as “noble Kurds” in the region.
Officials said the border operations were intended to thwart what they described as a coordinated Israeli and U.S. plan to attack Iranian territory and destabilise the country.
Iran’s military has recently intensified operations against Kurdish militant positions in response to the alleged threat. The campaign has included pre-emptive drone and ballistic missile strikes against suspected arms depots and headquarters located just across the border in Iraqi territory.
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Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, in an exclusive interview with Anewz on Thursday, said the Islamic Republic did not target Azerbaijan amid reports of drone strikes on Nakhchivan International Airport on Thursday (5 March).
Türkiye has suspended day-trip crossings at its Kapıköy border and two others with Iran as regional tensions escalate following strikes involving the United States and Israel on Tehran. AnewZ's Alisultan Sultanzade was on the ground at the crossing before the restrictions came into force.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, in an exclusive interview with Anewz on Thursday, said the Islamic Republic did not target Azerbaijan amid reports of drone strikes on Nakhchivan International Airport on Thursday (5 March).
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An evacuation flight operated by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) carrying Azerbaijani citizens from Saudi Arabia has landed in Baku after widespread travel disruptions triggered by escalating conflict in the Middle East, AnewZ's Ilknur Seydamirova reported from Heydar Aliyev International Airport.
Iran launched a wave of missiles at Israel early on Thursday, sending millions of residents into bomb shelters as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran entered its sixth day and just hours after moves to halt the U.S. air assault were blocked in Washington.
Iranian sailors who survived a U.S. submarine strike in the Indian Ocean were recovering at a hospital in the Sri Lankan port city of Galle, authorities said on Thursday (5 March), a day after at least 87 were killed in the attack.
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