Intelligence
units have warned that the Quds Force, a special unit of Iran's Revolutionary
Guard, plans to send a group to Turkey to carry out a series of demonstrations
that may include a bomb attack on the Embassy or Consulate General of the
United States.
The
Turkish Security General Directorate (EGM) has warned police departments in all
81 Turkish provinces that they must be vigilant and remain alert to the
existence of such a threat. The intelligence pertaining to the possibility of
such an attack was delivered in a secret letter to the information department
at Turkey's General Directorate of Security. The written statement indicates
that a team linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard will be sent to Turkey and
that it may be planning to bomb the US embassy or consulate general in the
country. The Quds Force is infamous for its role in attempting to export Iran's
revolution to other countries through the instigation of chaos and by acting as
the overseas branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp.
However,
facts about the force are well-guarded and scarce. The statement further
details that the team intends to stay in five-star hotels in the city where the
plan is to be carried out and that as a result, caution should be exercised
when dealing with non-Turkish individuals staying at such lodgings. The
statement also noted that groups linked to the Lebanon-based Hezbollah may also
take part in the plotted demonstrations or attacks.
Intelligence
data regarding the plan have been assessed by Turkish security forces to be an
effort by Iran to stir to action illegal Turkish political groups following
Turkey’s decision to host a NATO early-warning radar system and recent
developments in Syria that have seen the establishment of a training camp for
the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a step interpreted as a response to
Turkey’s criticism of the Syrian regime for its brutal crackdown on anti-regime
protests.
A
number of Iranian officials pledged revenge on Turkey last year after the
country approved the establishment of the NATO defense system on its soil, with
prominent military and political figures saying that Turkey would be sorry for
siding with the US. Iran has interpreted Turkey’s role in the international
community as a threat against its interests, and is convinced the US and Israel
are its archenemies seeking to destroy Iran. However, top Iranian officials,
including Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, have assured Turkey that such
threats coming from Iranian lawmakers do not reflect the official policy of the
country and that Turkey should only consider information from senior Iranian
authorities in office.
Salehi
has also frequently expressed his concern over such “provocations” that may try
to see the brotherhood of Iran and Turkey, which spans centuries, fall apart.
He believes the countries should keep in close contact and cooperate regarding
regional developments. Although Turkey and Iran are engaged in close
cooperation when it comes to combating terrorism and sharing intelligence along
their common border, the countries frequently disagree about developments in
the region.
One
such recent disagreement was sparked last month when US troops pulled out of
Iraq and left the country to submerge into a sectarian conflict between Sunnis
and Shiites. Turkey, a Sunni-majority country, claims to dismiss sectarian
differences in its approach to the Middle East and urges Iran to work for
solidarity among sects rather than allowing the Shiite bloc alone to monopolize
power in the hands of the sect. Iran is also speculated to be leading a new
rise of the Shiite Crescent in the region, supporting Shiite-backed political
blocs in other countries, such as Syria, while creating chaos in those ruled by
Sunni leaders, such as Bahrain. Iran vehemently refutes this role in both cases
and denies having connections to recent arms shipments intercepted by Turkey
allegedly on their way from Iran to Syria, where pro-democracy clashes run the
risk of leading to a civil war.
