Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday denied claims by Turkey that the two countries were planning joint military operations against Kurdish militants.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday that he had discussed with Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri the possibility of a joint operation against members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party.
"We have not planned any operations outside Iran's borders," said a statement from the Guards' regional ground forces headquarters published by the ISNA news agency. "But as always we will strongly confront any group, team or person who wants to penetrate into Iran's territory for anti-security or terrorist operations," it added.
Despite denying that specific operations were planned, the Revolutionary Guards did threaten the possibility of cross-border attacks in the future.
"Although Iran has no plan to take widespread operational actions outside its borders, if any terrorist group... aims to take the slightest measure to create insecurity on our borders, they will be faced with our intensive and fierce response, and their remnants will be targeted wherever they are," the statement said.
The chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces visited Turkey last week. This was the first military meeting at such a high level in the history of relations between Turkey and Iran.
