Iran says it dismantled four terrorist cells and arrested 16 in Sistan and Baluchestan

Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan intelligence department said it identified four terrorist cells linked to the United States and the "Zionist enemy" and arrested 16 members in the center and south of the province, according to Mehr News Agency (MNA).

The department said its forces acted with the help of public reports, continuous intelligence and operational monitoring, and cooperation with other security bodies. The four cells were identified in districts across central and southern Sistan and Baluchestan, and 16 people described as terrorists were arrested, some of whom had come from abroad, the department said.

According to the statement, some of those arrested were involved in the killing of a group of police personnel in Iranshahr and were handed over to judicial authorities after their arrest. Security forces seized weapons and combat ammunition from the detainees, including nine Kalashnikov rifles, two US-made M4 rifles and seven pistols with related ammunition.

In a separate operation, the department said three people were identified and arrested while gathering and sending information on the locations of defense and security facilities in the south of the province. It described this as a further blow to what it called the US-Zionist espionage and media network.

The report did not give the exact dates of the arrests or further details on the suspects. Sistan and Baluchestan, in Iran's southeast, has seen repeated security incidents in recent years. Iranian authorities routinely announce the dismantling of what they describe as militant or espionage cells in the province and attribute them to foreign actors, a characterization that cannot be independently verified.

According to Mehr News Agency, the intelligence department said the operations were carried out with cooperation from other security bodies and that the arrested individuals had been referred to the judiciary.