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IRGC captures seven separatist militants, seizes weapons in western Iran

Thursday, 03 September 2026 6:40 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 03 September 2026 6:40 PM ]

An IRGC Ground Force soldier looks through binoculars at an undisclosed location in western Iran. (File photo)

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has arrested seven militants linked to Kurdish separatist groups in western Ilam Province, seizing firearms and ammunition from their hideout.

“The seven-member team was identified and arrested through intelligence operations by the intelligence unit of the IRGC in Ilam Province,” the IRGC’s Public Relations Department announced on Thursday.

According to the statement, the group had obtained weapons with financial support and under the direction of a foreign-based coordinator and was preparing to carry out terrorist operations in cities across western Iran.

“One Kalashnikov rifle, various types of handguns and one shotgun, along with the relevant ammunition, were discovered and confiscated from the hideout of the team,” the statement said.

The latest arrests come amid a series of operations by Iranian security forces against separatist networks in the country’s northwestern regions.

On July 2, the IRGC Ground Force dismantled a separatist terrorist cell that had crossed into northwestern Iran from areas along the border.

The Hamzeh Seyyed al-Shohada Base said its forces tracked and ambushed the five-member group in mountainous areas overlooking Piranshahr, recovering the bodies of its members along with weapons and military equipment.

Two days earlier, on June 30, the IRGC Ground Force had dismantled another armed separatist cell in the mountainous area between Mahabad and Piranshahr in West Azarbaijan Province. The force said six members of the group were eliminated before they could carry out sabotage and terrorist operations.

IRGC dismantles armed separatist cell in northwest Iran

The IRGC says it has dismantled a six-member armed separatist cell in northwestern Iran, while PJAK terrorist group confirmed that four of its members were killed in the clash.

The IRGC's anti-terrorist operation come as high-ranking US and Israeli officials have acknowledged providing material support to separatist elements inside Iran.

On June 23, 2026, former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett acknowledged that Israel had covertly smuggled “tens of thousands” of Starlink satellite internet terminals into Iran to assist separatist outfits. He said the devices were intended to enable the militants to communicate and coordinate their activities.

On April 5, US President Donald Trump told Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst in a telephone interview that Washington had supplied guns to rioters through Kurdish groups. “We sent guns, a lot of them. We sent them through the Kurds. And I think the Kurds took the guns. They were supposed to be delivered, but they kept it,” Trump said.

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