Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said Iranian security forces have killed a key spy working for foreign intelligence services to destabilize border regions.
"The trace of spying agencies is seen in creating security challenges along the country's borders," Alavi said in Qom on Thursday, Press TV reported.
"These agencies set up 12 teams and paid $500,000 for every operation, $3,000 to each member per month and $10,000 to the families of a person killed."
The minister stated that these expenses are aimed at threatening the country's security, but due to the vigilance of Iranian security forces, their plot was foiled and their leader, Abu Hafiz Balushi, with an ID card name of Hosham Azizi was killed.
Alavi warned of a NATO-like security alliance that wants to undermine peace in Iran, stressing that it has failed to do so.
"Terrorist groups along Iran's southeastern and northwestern borders are incapable of endangering the country's security," Alavi said, emphasizing that they are "puppets of enemies and arrogant powers" while the CIA spy agency, Israel's Mossad, Britain's MI6 and the Saudi spying agency have backstage cooperation in this regard.
Iranian forces have, over the past few months, engaged in clashes with terror groups, foiling their terrorist plots in the border regions and inside the country, arresting a number of them and confiscating large amounts of explosives and bomb-making materials.
Earlier this month, security forces killed a key member of the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group and busted the terror cell he belonged to during clashes in the western province of Kermanshah.
Back in June, the Intelligence Ministry reported thwarting a "takfiri-Wahhabi" plot to stage attacks in Iran's major cities, including Tehran. It also released a video showing security forces raiding the hideout of the terrorists in the capital.
