Iran vows to repel IS threat at Afghan, Iraqi borders

A top Iranian army commander says that his troops will take “decisive” action if Islamic State group militants come within 40 kilometers of its borders with Iraq and Afghanistan.

The comments from General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, who heads Iran’s ground forces, come after Iraq’s foreign minister said intelligence sources showed Iran was among countries IS had plans to attack.

“The Iraqi foreign ministry warned us but the Islamic Republic of Iran’s army states that it has no fear of such threats and a red line has been drawn in Iraq 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the border,” Pourdastan says.

“We have strongly warned that if any action is taken (by IS), it will face a decisive response from Iranian armed forces and we will do the same in Afghanistan,” Pourdastan says, quoted by state media.

— AFP