TEHRAN – A parliamentary delegation from the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee paid a visit to the location of the deadly armed attack that took place earlier this month on the border with Pakistan. 

Shahriar Heidari, a member of the Committee, led the delegation. The visit took place on Thursday. 

Last week, five Iranian border guards were killed during an attack by gunmen in the border region of Mak Soukhteh in Sistan-Baluchistan province. Two of the victims are officers and the remaining three are conscripts.

The troops serving in the border regiment of Saravan clashed with a group of gunmen who were trying to cross the border near the Mazesar border post, the Iranian police said, adding that the terrorists fled the scene after sustaining heavy losses, according to Tasnim.

The attack took place in Saravan County which is only 40 kilometers away from the border with Pakistan. Earlier, the deputy commander of the Iranian police and the commander of the Iranian border guards traveled to the location of the clash.

Heidari said the Iranian troops resisted from their location at the border post’s turret for an hour. “Five people of the border guards were stationed in the turret that was destroyed by the group for about an hour. The terrorists first asked the Iranian border guards to surrender, but the brave border guards of our country preferred martyrdom to surrender. And this shows the sacrifice, interest and courage of the border guards towards the soil of the country,” he said, according to the parliamentary news agency ICANA. 

He also said that the assailants were backed by foreign powers. “Based on the geographical conditions of this region, it is quite clear that the foreign services on the other side of the border had a close relationship with the terrorist group and definitely helped them in providing equipment,” he added. 

He continued, “The authorities should pay special attention to equipping the country's border guards, and I expect my colleagues in the parliament to soon put the plan to strengthen the border guards on the agenda so that the border guards of the Islamic Republic of Iran can be strengthened in terms of quality and quantity.”

Heidari said, “In the course of the clash, with the planning of the border guard commander and the border regiment and readiness, the turrets around the border guard helped as soon as possible. The border guards targeted the enemy's location in different places, some of the bad guys were injured in this conflict.”

He also called on Pakistan to ensure border security. “The expectation of the Islamic Republic of Iran from Pakistan is that this country also pays attention to the security of the border and this issue is very important for Iran. The foreign ministers of Iran and Pakistan should monitor these issues and Pakistan should take measures to ensure the security of the common borders so that we do not witness the repetition of such unfortunate events.”

The delegation also visited the Iran-Afghanistan border. 

He called on Pakistan to ensure border security and on Afghanistan to respect Iran’s water rights. “Ensuring the security of the borders and water rights of Helmand is mandatory according to international treaties.”

Heidari noted, “The two countries of Iran and Pakistan have concerns about their common borders, but today only the Islamic Republic of Iran has been active and has taken measures to ensure the security of these borders.”

The lawmaker said Iran is also ready to conduct operations inside Pakistan to ensure security if Islamabad is unable to do so. He said such an operation can be done with Pakistan’s approval. 

“Pakistan must respect the right of neighbor, because the border tensions that occur under the influence of some currents and with the help of the equipment of foreign services harm the relations between Iran and Pakistan,” he continued.