Iran says it has given Pakistan the “necessary warnings” to take urgent action to prevent terrorist groups based on its side of the border from freely crossing into Iran and orchestrating attacks.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi's remarks Monday at a weekly news briefing in Tehran came after a car bombing killed 27 members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) last week.
“It is not tolerable for us that the government and the army of Pakistan cannot prevent this mischief and acts of terror from inside their soil,” he said.
On Wednesday, an explosives-laden car rammed into a bus carrying IRGC members on a road in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, which also injured 13 people.
The so-called Jaish ul-Adl terrorist group, which is based in Pakistan and has known links to al-Qaeda and Saudi Arabia, claimed responsibility for the assault.
Qassemi did not rule out action through the United Nations and other international organizations should direct negotiations with Pakistan fail to resolve the issue.
“Intensive negotiations have been held between Iran and Pakistan over the past days and Pakistan has been given the necessary warnings about the principles that it needs to adhere to,” he said.
“As far as I know, I don’t think any action has yet been taken through the UN. We will work directly for now,” he added.
Terror team planning new attack dismantled
Meanwhile, the IRGC said Monday that it had captured some members of the team behind the bombing, including three terrorists ready to blow up 150kg of explosives.
IRGC forces, acting on clues by intelligence agents, raided several houses in Saravan and Khash on Sunday night, and arrested those hiding there, the IRGC said in a statement.
“In this successful operation, three terrorists were arrested and 150 kilograms of explosives ready for use and 600 kilograms of explosives being prepared for attacks were discovered along with some quantities of weapons and ammunition,” it said.
"The arrested terrorists were the same elements who had procured, directed and backed up the car used by the suicide bomber in the recent criminal attack on the Khash-Zahedan road," it added.
'Fiery revenge awaiting terrorists'
Earlier in the day, Iran's Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Baqeri warned that a “fiery revenge” awaits Jaish ul-Adl and other terrorist groups funded by regional Arab regimes such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“If a group is holed up in Pakistan using Saudi and Emirati money, carrying out such acts of terror by sending in some people, they should know that the flames of the Iranian nation’s revenge will burn them to ashes,” the general asserted.
General Baqeri said Pakistan needed to put more effort into securing its borders with Iran, which stretches beyond 1,000 kilometers.
He said although Iran has secured large chunks of the border, some parts are left open by the Pakistani side and are being used by terrorist groups to freely roam between the two countries.
General Baqeri said the Pakistani army had already started an anti-terror operation using Iranian intelligence.
“It is possible that this effort won’t be effective but we will keep the pressure and continue negotiations with Pakistan until we make sure this terrorist group is eradicated from Sistan and Baluchestan,” he added.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/02/18/588872/Iran-Qassemi-Bagheri-Pakistan-terror-attack-IRGC
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