Iran foils hijacking attempt on Tehran‑Mashhad flight

The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aviation Protection Division, General Hadi Mollanouri, has stated that intelligence forces successfully thwarted an attempted hijacking on a Tehran‑Mashhad flight in recent weeks.

According to the general, the incident took place in mid‑Aban (early November), when an individual with significant physical strength tried to disarm the onboard security personnel and had planned to take hostages, Caliber.Az reports, citing Mehr.

He emphasised that the hijacking attempt was swiftly neutralised thanks to the vigilance and quick response of IRGC aviation protection forces, allowing the aircraft to safely reach Mashhad.

General Mollanouri also noted that in recent months, other threats, including bomb scares, were detected. However, preventive measures ensured that none of these threats escalated into serious or critical incidents.

He highlighted that the actions taken by the IRGC Aviation Protection Division over the years have established strong deterrence against potential hostile activities.

The commander further pointed out that over the past 41 years, aviation security in Iran has been maintained continuously, with an average of around 500 flights operating daily. 

In the past year alone, IRGC aviation protection personnel screened approximately 45 million passengers at 67 airports nationwide, covering both domestic and international flights.

By Jeyhun Aghazada