MNA - Iran's security forces apprehended several individuals involved in a plot to target people during an unauthorized gathering in Saqqez, a town located in the western province of Kurdistan in Iran, Iranian media reported.

The terrorist cell was composed of four members in possession of firearms, knives, and Iranian security personnel uniforms, media reports added.

In August, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Major General Hossein Salami, issued a warning regarding the adversary's scheme to incite unrest in Iran on the anniversary of the protests that erupted in September 2022 following the passing of Mahsa Amini.

Iranian media agencies added that the uncovering of Iranian military uniforms indicates that the terrorists had conspired to open fire on civilians and then falsely implicate Iranian law enforcement in the act.

This comes on the first anniversary of the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, whose death sparked Western-backed, funded riots and armed insurgencies in Iran, with incitement also coming from Western media outlets with the aim of undermining the nation.

Anti-Iran rioters claim Amini died after she was beaten under police custody for an alleged breach of the country's dress code for women. However, Iran's Legal Medicine Organization has confirmed that her cause of death was from complications she endured as a result of a craniopharyngioma surgery at the age of eight.

Iran's influence on the rise

On Wednesday, Major General Hossein Salami stressed that enemies can no longer threaten Iran with a military option or economic sanctions since they have imposed full-fledged embargoes on the country, but they have only resulted in Tehran's incredible progress in various fields of technology and innovation.

According to Salami, the adversaries' intentions to isolate Iran have also failed since everyone can witness the country's wide political and economic relations with nations ranging from the Far East to Africa and Latin America.

"You can also see Iran’s influence in (organizations like) BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization," he added.

The IRGC commander said enemies wanted to destabilize Iran, but this scheme was defeated owing to the Iranian people's alertness and the guidance of Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei.

 --- AL MAYADEEN