TEHRAN, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Intelligence Ministry said Thursday the country's armed forces have heavily damaged a large part of the positions and facilities belonging to "separatist terrorist" groups near western borders through a "pre-emptive" military operation.
The ministry said the groups sought to "abuse" the war conditions and infiltrate Iran through western borders with U.S. and Israeli support, with an aim to launch "terrorist" attacks in Iran's urban and border areas, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.
Separately, Mohammad-Reza Rezaei, governor of Baneh border county in western Iran's province of Kurdestan, on Thursday rejected rumors of invasion against or infiltration into Iran from the shared border with Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
According to the Iranian Students' News Agency, the governor said that security is ensured along the county's border, and that Iranian armed forces are protecting borders round the clock and with full readiness.
On Wednesday night, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi held a phone conversation with Bafel Jalal Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, a group based in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
The two discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation for common security and stability along the shared border.
The developments came as the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran entered its sixth day. The operation has triggered a sharp escalation across the Middle East, setting off waves of missile exchanges, mounting casualties, and far-reaching political, security, and economic repercussions. ■
