TEHRAN — The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Friday that Iran’s borders enjoy full security, with the IRGC, Army and police forces closely watching and controlling border areas.

The comments by Hossein Salami came as the Taliban militants are capturing more territories in neighboring Afghanistan.

“The armed forces are present at the country’s eastern borders with full readiness and vigilance,” Major General Salami told reporters during a visit to the northeastern city of Mashhad.

Salami reiterated that all of the official and unofficial border crossings in the east of the country are under full control of the Iranian armed forces.

“People should not worry at all, because the scope of our observations has gone beyond the borders and we are monitoring and controlling all the developments in the neighboring country,” he said.

In recent weeks, the Taliban militants have waged a massive rampage across the war-torn Afghanistan, seizing control of multiple strategic cities toward the capital, Kabul.

IRGC and Basij do whatever possible to combat Coronavirus

During his visit to Mashhad, Salami also visited the vaccination center in the shrine city, and reiterated the IRGC’s determination in helping the government implement the public vaccination program. 

“What I observed was that there is a serious determination in the responsible officials of the province, such as the governor and the medical officials, as well as the Guards,” he highlighted.

The commander also said that a serious will has been formed after the order of the Leader to contain the Coronavirus.

"We hope to overcome this issue with collective will and great efforts. We also decide to meet the hardware needs such as oxygen generators and we expand the scope of activities according to the needs,” General Salami stated. 

He emphasized that the most important priority of the IRGC is to organize teams that can help medical officials all over the country to intensify the public vaccination plan named after martyr Soleimani, insisting on intensive and nationwide implementation of the plan in all sectors.

The Martyr Soleimani plan is being implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, Basij, and the Red Crescent Society, through which volunteer forces provide information, testing, diagnosis, referral of suspects to health centers, and offer services by visiting people’s homes.

Salami stated that most of the hospitals in different parts of the country, including the hospitals related to the IRGC and the hospitals of the ground forces have announced readiness, and in Mashhad, the Shahid Najafi clinic has been set up and its beds have been expanded. 

In the fight against the Coronavirus, the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), Basij along with the Ministry of Health and other responsible organizations, have undertaken important activities, from rapid diagnosis and screening to providing medical services and shelter, but the most important activity of this population has been informing the public about healthcare and treatment.

He stated IRGC naval hospitals and fixed and mobile forces in Qom, Arak, Sari and other cities have come to work to help the medical sector and remove the burden from the medical community. 

SA/PA