Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib made the revelation in a speech in the northeastern city of Mashhad on Thursday and urged Shia and Sunnis scholars as well as officials to remain vigilant in the face of schemes aimed at sowing sectarian discord in the country.
“The enemies sought to assassinate several Mawlavis (Sunni clerics), IRGC members, and judges, and make both parties look guilty in the incident to incite ethnic and religious differences,” Khatib noted and further warned that “the enemies are after afflicting the country’s eastern borders with insecurity.”
The announcement comes on the heels of the anniversary of the protests and deadly riots in Iran, when Iranian intelligence and security forces announced several terrorist attempts were foiled and several agents were nabbed.
On Sunday, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry said in a statement that the security forces have foiled an attempt to carry out 30 simultaneous explosions throughout the capital Tehran and arrested 28 terrorists in connection with the plot.