By Staff, Agencies

Iran's Ministry of Intelligence announced it has dismantled four organized operational cells belonging to what it described as Takfiri terrorist groups linked to American and “Zionist” intelligence services during a security operation in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.

According to the ministry, the operation led to the arrest of 15 suspected militants and the seizure of multiple caches of weapons, preventing what it described as a foreign-backed plot to destabilize the province.

The ministry said intelligence personnel identified and intercepted the groups as they attempted to infiltrate the country, with coordinated raids conducted in the counties of Zahedan, Chabahar, Iranshahr, Khash, Taftan, Nikshahr, and Qasr-e Qand.

Security forces confiscated a number of Kalashnikov assault rifles and ammunition, the statement said, adding that the operation prevented the suspects from carrying out planned attacks.

The ministry alleged that the detained operatives had been tasked with conducting sabotage operations targeting economic facilities, public services, and judicial institutions in an effort to undermine security, disrupt daily life, and incite unrest in the border province.

The announcement follows another operation during the first half of July, when Iranian intelligence authorities said they dismantled four additional terrorist cells in Sistan and Baluchestan, killing two suspected militants and arresting 10 others.

The ministry said investigations remain ongoing, citing what it described as continued efforts by foreign adversaries to create instability in the province.

Sistan and Baluchestan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long been identified by Iranian authorities as a sensitive security region due to repeated infiltration attempts by armed groups operating near the country's eastern frontier.