An Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) official said on Saturday that the so-called Islamic State (IS) group sought to hijack Iranian planes.
"Daesh (IS) and some Salafi groups have sought to deal a blow to the country in this way (through hijacking planes), but fortunately, they have not been able to take any action in practice," Colonel Baqeri, deputy chief of a branch of the IRGC which is tasked with protecting the security of flights, said in an interview with Fars news agency published on Saturday.
He also said the level of the security of Iranian flights is higher than the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), adding that since 1984 when the IRGC was assigned to provide the security of flights, it has been able to thwart all attempts to hijack Iranian planes.
Elsewhere, he said the IRGC is also responsible by law to protect the country's prominent figures, including nuclear scientists.
In addition, he said IRGC forces managed to foil an assassination plot against a nuclear scientist, which had been planned by the Zionist regime, over the past two years.
Israel has been behind the assassination of several Iranian nuclear scientists in recent years in a futile attempt to impede the progress of Tehran's nuclear program.
