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According to Iran's intelligence minister, a group of individuals with reported links to Israel has been captured on May 22nd in the western borders of Iran, as reported by the semi-official Nour News agency.
Esmail Khatib stated, "A group associated with the Zionist regime, which entered the country from the western borders, has been arrested."
The intelligence minister further revealed that these individuals had entered Iran from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in Iraq.
"We expect our western borders to remain secure and free from any security incidents, given the cooperation of the new Iraqi administration led by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani and the assurances they have provided," Khatib added.
He emphasized the responsibilities of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in this matter.
Khatib also issued a warning that the Iranian military would respond forcefully to any destabilizing acts against the country's border regions.
Speaking to the semi-official Tasnim News in the western Iranian city of Sanandaj on May 21st, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, the IRGC Ground Force Commander, mentioned that the government in Baghdad had agreed "to disarm and expel the terrorist groups that act against Iran along the border regions."
Pakpour cautioned, "We are waiting for the government of Iraq to fulfill its commitments and have given them some time for the eviction of these terrorists. If nothing happens, the IRGC's attacks will continue."
Tasnim News highlighted that Iran had targeted armed groups infiltrating from the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region in September, accusing them of inciting riots and unrest in the western border cities.
The targeted groups include the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, and the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK).
PJAK, established in 2004, is a movement that encompasses both a militia and a political wing. It is seen as a splinter group of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), originally based in Turkey before relocating its operations to Iraq.
Komala is a socialist party that participated in the 1979 revolution and the subsequent Kurdish rebellion of 1979-80. The group halted attacks against Iran in the early 1990s but announced a resumption of armed activities in 2017.
PAK is an Iranian Kurdish separatist movement founded in 1991, engaged in political and military endeavors. PAK advocates for an independent Kurdish state that would include territories from Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
Iran claims that these groups receive support from Israel. In September, the IRGC stated, "These terrorists, backed by global powers, sought refuge in the northern Iraqi region after suffering heavy casualties."