Iranian security forces thwart terrorist plots ahead of presidential election

Iran's security and intelligence forces successfully intercepted and dismantled terrorist plots aimed at disrupting the June 28 presidential elections, according to Deputy Minister of Interior Majid Mirahmadi.

Mirahmadi detailed the various strategies employed by anti-Iran groups to undermine the electoral process in an interview on June 30, Caliber.Az reports via Iranian media.

"Their first strategy was to discourage voter participation by promoting an election ban," Mirahmadi explained. "Their second strategy was about infiltrating the candidates' election headquarters." He highlighted how adversaries sought to create false polarization and intensify societal divisions, aiming to destabilize the country's political landscape.

Mirahmadi also noted that these groups intended to raise concerns about election fraud and draw parallels to past incidents. "The final and fifth strategy of the enemies and adversaries was to raise the issue of voter rigging and repeat the bitter incident of 2009," he stated, referencing the widespread protests that followed the disputed presidential election that year.

In addition to these tactics, Mirahmadi addressed the persistent threat posed by terrorist groups. He revealed that these groups had plotted to instigate fear and prevent people from voting through terrorist operations. "They tried to turn the elections into a widespread security challenge by implementing hard and soft strategies," he added.

Despite these threats, Mirahmadi provided reassurance that effective intelligence operations had thwarted the terrorist plans. "Before the start of the elections, some of the terrorist elements who had been sent into the country, received the necessary training, and were prepared for terrorist operations during the elections were arrested by the anonymous soldiers of Imam Zaman (a term used in Iran for intelligence forces) and thankfully, terrorist movements faced a complete defeat," he affirmed.