00:26Iran
00:27says it has dismantled three operational cells allegedly linked to hostile groups connected
00:34to U.S. and Israeli intelligence services. The announcement came on September 20,
00:40as Iran's Ministry of Intelligence said its forces had disrupted planned assassinations
00:45and sabotage operations across three provinces. According to the ministry,
00:51the operations were carried out in West Azerbaijan, Alborz, and Kerman provinces,
00:58with information from members of the public helping intelligence forces identify the alleged cells.
01:05In West Azerbaijan, Iranian authorities said they targeted an operative from a separatist group,
01:12who had allegedly been monitoring a security commander in Perenshar for a planned assassination.
01:18The ministry said intelligence forces set a trap for the operative, leading to an armed clash in which
01:25he was killed before the alleged assassination could take place. In Alborz province, authorities said
01:32they arrested a man identified as Amir Ali En. Iranian officials described him as a mercenary working
01:39for U.S. Zionist interests and alleged that he was operating under instructions from a monarchist group
01:46linked to Israeli intelligence. The ministry claimed the suspect had provided information on targeted
01:53individuals as well as coordinates of IRGC and besiege military facilities. Iranian authorities further
02:01alleged that he had been tasked with attacking a besieged base, abducting or harassing individuals,
02:08and setting vehicles on fire. Officials said surveillance operations prevented those plans
02:14from being carried out. And in Kerman province, Iranian intelligence said it arrested two members of
02:21another alleged cell. According to the ministry, the group had been ordered to bomb vital infrastructure
02:27in the city of Baham and was preparing for additional armed operations. The arrests, officials said,
02:34came before the alleged attack could be carried out. Iran's Ministry of Intelligence praised its forces
02:41and credited public tips with helping expose the alleged operations. The ministry described all three cases
02:48as preemptive operations designed to stop attacks before they happened. But there is an important caveat.
02:56These allegations come from Iranian authorities and state-affiliated media. Independent confirmation of the
03:04identities, affiliations or alleged foreign direction of these cells was not available in the contemporaneous reporting.
03:11The latest announcement adds to Iran's repeated claims of uncovering foreign-backed networks amid
03:18heightened tensions with the United States and Israel. For now, Tehran says three alleged operational
03:25cells have been dismantled and that planned assassinations and infrastructure attacks
03:30were stopped before they could take place.
03:48.
03:48.
03:49.
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