AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): On August 1, Iran’s intelligence ministry announced detention of the leader of a US-based terrorist group. As more information surfaced, it became clear that the intelligence agents caught in a “complicated operation” the leader of Tondar group Jamshid Sharmahd, also called the Kingdom Assembly of Iran, who runs the militant wing of the terrorist group.
Sharmahd leads a terrorist group that is supported by the US and during its life launched several armed and sabotage operations in Iran. Immediately after his arrest, Sharmahd disclosed in detail the plans of the group, with the most important part of his confessions being the direct support provided by Washington.
Iran said that the confessions once again demonstrated to the world that the US is the key sponsor of terrorism and terrorist organizations at various levels in the world.
The impressive point for many security analysts, and of course world leaders, was the Iranian extraordinary intelligence capability and the power to infiltrate the networks of the terrorists and contain them. The triumphant hunting of the US-guarded and supported terrorist leader underscored Iran’s security and intelligence dominance over terrorists and opponents across the world.
Tondar; a secret organization aligned with the monarchists
Tondar group was founded in 2004 by Fathullah Manouchehri, also called Foroud Folladvand. Overthrowing the Islamic Republic in Iran within a year was announced to be the key goal of the group. US-based Your TV belongs to Tondar and is responsible to promote its propaganda.
The founder of the group disappeared in 2006 and remained missing to date. His daughter claimed that her father is in the Israeli regime. Jamshid Sharmahd was named a new leader after Manouchehri’s disappearance. The group has so far claimed responsibility to several terrorist attacks in Iran targeting civilians and armed forces.
The first attack was conducted in 2008 in the southern city of Shiraz, where the group’s elements planted an 8-pound bomb in a Husseynyah, or prayer hall, where a prayer and mourning ceremony was underway. The blast killed 14 and injured 215 others.
Also, elements of the group that were building a bomb were arrested by the security forces in a hotel in Tehran when an explosion and fire gave away their position.
The second terrorist operation by Tondar was arranged in 2009 at Imam Khomeini’s mausoleum in southern Tehran. The bomber failed to get into the complex along with the bomb. He detonated the bomb outside the building, injuring 8 people.
Explosion outside the house of the preacher of the Iranian city of Nahavand also in 2009 was another attack in Iran by the group. Tondar also had hands in the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Masoud Ali Mohammadi in January 2010.
According to designs by the Western intelligence agencies, the group planned for chemical attacks on the annually-organized Tehran Book Fair and also the Russian consulate in Rasht, north of Iran, but its plots were discovered and neutralized by the security forces. It also planned to attack religious places, the parliament, and oil pipelines but they were discovered and neutralized before conducting.
Interpol silence and Iranian intelligence’s astuteness
Detention of the leader of the Tondar terrorist group showed that the Western countries have a largely dual-faced, and of course benefit-centered, approach to human rights and terrorism. Interpol knew that Sharmahd was a terrorist but never arrested him. Like Mohammad Reza Kolahi Samadi who lived for 30 years in the Netherlands with a fake identity. On June 28, 1981, his planted bomb rocked the headquarters of the Islamic Republic Party’s headquarters in Tehran. He died mysteriously in 2018 in the Netherlands.
Despite the Western mischief, especially the US, the Iranian intelligence and security forces have foiled many terrorist and sabotage attacks of the anti-Iranian groups. The fact is that this is not the first complicated operation that deals blow to the terrorists and opponents. Iran has already showed its intelligence capabilities. On February 23, 2010, the Iranian intelligence forces arrested following an international operation Abdulmalik Rigi, the leader of Jundallah, one of the world’s most ferocious terrorist groups that is supported by the US and Israeli intelligence and carried out several attacks in Iran killing civilians and border forces. In October 2019, Iran also arrested Rohullah Zam, the director of Amad News website and Telegram channel which incited unrest and armed battle against the Iranian government. A secret operation took him out of intensive protection in France supervised by French intelligence.
Sayed Mohsen Alavi, Iran’s intelligence minister, believes that the US and Israeli regime were wrong to think that Sharmahd was a good choice to deal blows to Iran. “The domination of the obscure soldiers of Imam Al-Zaman very timely dealt the ultimate blow to the terrorist group,” Alavi said using an epithet with which the Iranian intelligence forces are identified in the country.
About 27 terrorist operations were arranged by Sharmahd and his group, all thwarted with timely responses from Iran’s intelligence community. Tonder is in fact the sheerest terrorist group aligned with the US-based Kingdom Assembly of Iran.
The US sustains intelligence defeat from Iran
Over the past decades, the Americans spared no chances to deal blows to Iran at home or to its interests abroad. During the past 40 years, Washington imposed on Iran as much pressure as possible through sanctions. Its intelligence community threw their backing behind Iranian and non-Iranian terrorist groups to destabilize Iran.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) supported any group or institution carrying anti-Iranian agenda, supporting them militarily and financially.
But the arrest of the leader of Tondar tells the West that it is the loser in the intelligence duel against Iran. To put it differently, just against the claims and propaganda the Western media promote, Iran has the upper hand in a secret battle of intelligence agencies.
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