TEHRAN – In a clear warning on Sunday, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran is all but sure about the presence of foreign terrorists in the war-torn region of Nagorno-Karabakh, warning that Iran won’t tolerate their presence.

“As for the terrorist forces, we are almost certain that they were present in the midst of the conflict, and we emphasized that this is not in anyone's interest,” the chief Iranian diplomat said, in what appeared to be the second official warning from Iran that it may take action against terrorists in the war zone if they pose a threat to the security of the country.

“In recent and even earlier negotiations, we have informed the authorities of Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as Russia and Turkey, that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not tolerate such a thing,” said the foreign minister, adding that these terrorists are not present at Iran’s borders now, but the probability that they will be present at a distance from Iran’s borders is still high, and Tehran has seriously expressed this concern to both sides.

There have been several reports in news media outlets in Iran suggesting that Takfiri groups may have been deployed in the south Caucasus region to take part in the clashes between Azerbaijan and the local ethnic Armenians in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Zarif has already expressed concern over the presence of Takfiri terrorists in the region while elaborating on a peace initiative that Iran has presented to all regional countries involved in the war to help end the conflict.

“In the active diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is based on respect for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the peaceful settlement of the conflict and the inviolability of international borders, there is a concern about the presence of Takfiri terrorists in the region and possibly other terrorists. We made it clear that it is unbearable for Iran,” the foreign minister pointed out.

SM/PA