Rebels killed in clashes with Iranian forces this week had recently infiltrated border areas carrying US-made arms, an Iranian commander was quoted as saying today.
Ten rebels and seven Iranian border guards were killed in clashes in a northwestern area of Iran close to Turkey, according to Iranian media reports yesterday and today.
"The weapons . . . included M16 weapons which are being provided through channels linked to forces present in the region," the officer told state radio. The report referred to "American-made weaponry and arms,"
Tehran often accuses the United States, which invaded Iraq in 2003, of trying to undermine Iran's security by backing insurgents operating in sensitive border regions.
The Intelligence Ministry said last Saturday it had uncovered spy networks, mostly near its western borders, working for US and British intelligence services.
Iranian Kurdish rebels linked to Turkish Kurd guerrilla group Kurdistan Workers Party usually operate in other parts of northwestern Iran.
The United States accuses Iran of seeking to develop nuclear arms and of fomenting instability in Iraq. Iran denies the charges and blames the presence of US forces for the violence in its western neighbour.