Iran says reserves right to destroy terrorists in Pakistan hideout

The Islamic republic reserves the right to destroy the lairs of terrorists in Pakistan, which cross the border to kill Iranian security guards, Press TV quoted Iranian Army's Ground Forces commander as saying on Tuesday.

"The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran condemn such measures and if the Pakistani government does not take serious measures, the Iranian forces reserve the absolute and legal right to resolutely counter and destroy the lairs of terrorists even deep inside the neighboring country's soil," Brig. Gen. Ahmad Reza Pourdastan said on Tuesday.

The Iranian Armed Forces would spare no efforts to safeguard the country's security, Pourdastan said, adding that the recent terrorist attack near the Iranian southeastern town of Mirjaveh against the Iranian border guards "indicated the weakness of Pakistan" in controlling its borders with Iran.

Last month, 11 Iranian border guards were killed in clashes near Mirjaveh in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan.

The operation was launched from the Pakistani soil and the assailants escaped into Pakistani territory immediately after the attack, according to Press TV.

On Tuesday, Iranian ambassador to Pakistan was called to the Foreign Office for conveying Pakistan's concerns over the reported remarks of the Iranian army commanders regarding cross border actions.

Over the past decades, Iran's eastern and southeastern border had been the scene of clashes between Iranian security forces and armed drug smugglers on the one hand and security forces with the ethnic Sunni rebels on the other. Endit