The domestic armed threat facing Iran

Iranian authorities have repeatedly publicised arrests and clashes with small armed cells inside the country, or skirmishes with armed groups along land borders, particularly in the lead-up to and during the war with Israel and the United States.They have endeavoured to frame the war as a national security struggle while sending a message of control and deterrence to audiences inside the country and abroad.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Claimed Israeli capture of Lebanese ridge reshapes negotiation dynamicslist 2 of 3Israel deports British activist who protected Palestinian childrenlist 3 of 3Why do the Falkland Islands matter to the UK and Argentina so much?end of listIn one of the latest instances, state media said on Sunday that members of an eight-member network allegedly affiliated with “anti-revolutionary” and “pro-monarchy” groups were arrested.The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the southern province of Fars accused those arrested of using Molotov cocktails and burning tyres during nationwide protests in January.The leaders of Iran’s Islamic Republic have in recent weeks also expressed concern about more potential protests as public discontent ris...