Iran Border Guards Seize Explosives in Ambush Near Zabol

By Staff, Agencies

Iranian border guards have seized a cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosive materials after ambushing suspected militants in the country’s southeast, a senior commander said.

Brigadier General Ali Akbar Javidan, commander of Iran’s Border Guard Police, announced on Thursday that the confrontation occurred near the southeastern border city of Zabol in Sistan and Baluchestan province.

“In line with controlling and monitoring the southeastern borders of the country, and based on received reports regarding movements by regional smugglers to bring in explosive and suicide equipment, the matter was placed seriously on the agenda of the border guards,” he said.

According to Javidan, a team from the Zabol Border Regiment was dispatched under direct operational guidance.

After several hours of surveillance and a targeted ambush, the guards reportedly observed individuals attempting to illegally cross into Iranian territory while carrying smuggled cargo.

“Action was taken to arrest them, and ultimately the smugglers, who had been caught off guard by the presence of the border guards, abandoned their cargo and fled the scene,” he added.

Following an inspection of the area, border guards discovered a backpack containing a suicide vest, three kilograms of explosive compounds, three homemade detonators, 200 pellets, approximately two and a half meters of electrical wire, a Kalashnikov rifle with a magazine, and 43 rounds of live ammunition.

Javidan said intelligence operations are ongoing to apprehend those involved, alleging that the group had intended to transfer the explosives to central parts of the country to carry out acts of sabotage.

He added that the operation demonstrated what he described as the intelligence and operational capabilities, determination, and continuous efforts of border forces in Sistan and Baluchestan to safeguard Iran’s territorial integrity and prevent threats from entering the country.