Iran says it has thwarted what it describes as “one of the biggest plots” by terror groups targeting Tehran and other major Iranian cities over the holy month of Ramadan.
The country’s Ministry of Intelligence released a statement Monday saying it had unearthed “criminal plans” by “Takfiri Wahhabi” for a series of bombings across Iran specifically targeting religious events planned for coming days.
“But thanks to the efforts of the unnamed soldiers of Imam Zaman (intelligence officers) in Tehran and other provinces, the satanic efforts of the takfiris were neutralized, the terrorists were arrested and a great deal of explosives were confiscated,” the statement read.
A “Takfiri” is a derogatory term used to describe a Muslim who accuses another Muslim of being a non-believer, while Wahhabism is a strict form of Sunni Islam, with followers that include ISIS and al Qaeda.
Iran and ISIS
Iran, with its largely Shiite population, has been helping the governments in neighboring Iraq and Syria fight ISIS, which considers Shiites to be apostates.
Iranian military personnel are providing tactical help for Syrian commanders of battalions in direct battles, as well as weapons and ordnance, operational assistance and help with strategic planning, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
The U.S. military estimates that at least 1,000 Iranians are on the ground in Syria.
Last week, the troops from the Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps were involved in clashes with “terrorist cells” in the northwest of the country, killing several militants, according to the semi-official FARS news agency.
