TEHRAN – Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force says it has dismantled a terrorist cell linked to hostile groups in the southeastern border province of Sistan and Baluchestan.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the IRGC’s Quds Headquarters said intelligence units identified and arrested members of the cell through targeted operations. The group had been involved in several terrorist acts in the Saravan region over the past year, the statement said.

According to preliminary confessions cited by the IRGC, the suspects admitted they were acting on orders from terrorist and hostile organizations and had been planning and carrying out assassination attempts against security personnel in the Saravan area.

Saravan, located about 347 kilometers southeast of Zahedan, the provincial capital, lies near Iran’s border with Pakistan.

Sistan and Baluchestan has long been affected by militant violence targeting both civilians and security forces. Iranian officials have repeatedly said that armed groups operating in the southeastern and northwestern regions of the country maintain links with foreign intelligence services.

Authorities say ongoing security threats in the region have necessitated a sustained police and military presence, often involving rapid counterterrorism operations.

The announcement comes amid heightened security concerns following a deadly attack on October 26, when 10 members of Iran’s law enforcement forces were killed in the Gohar Kuh district of Taftan. The so-called Jaish al-Adl militant group claimed responsibility for the assault, one of the deadliest in the province in recent months.

The group has conducted numerous terrorist attacks across Iran, primarily focusing on the Sistan and Baluchestan region. Its methods include abducting border guards and launching assaults on civilians and police stations, aiming to incite chaos and unrest.

Significant efforts have been poured into activating terrorist elements along Iran’s southeastern borders, most of which have failed so far. Iran is ramping up cooperation with Pakistani intelligence and military to curb terrorism on the eastern front.