DUBAI (Reuters) - Militants killed 10 Iranian Revolutionary Guards in an attack on a post on the Iraqi border on Saturday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, the latest deadly clash in an area where armed opposition Kurdish groups are active.

The agency quoted a Revolutionary Guards statement as saying that several of the attacking “terrorists” were also killed in the fighting in which a munitions depot was blown up.

Provincial security official Hosein Khosheqbal told state television that 11 members of the Guards’ voluntary Basij forces were killed in the overnight violence in the Marivan area, which he blamed on the Kurdish armed opposition group PJAK.

“The latest news is that the Basij and Guards forces are in hot pursuit of the attackers,” Khosheqbal said.

The Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) — an outlawed group that seeks self-governance for Iran’s Kurds and has links to Turkey’s militant Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) — operates in the border area, along with other armed Kurdish groups based in northern Iraq.

Earlier this month, the Revolutionary Guards said they had killed three militants in a security operation near the border with Iraq, and nine militants were reported killed by the Guards last month further north on the border.

There is little coordination between Iranian and Iraqi forces over security of the porous border that has also been used by Islamic State to enter Iran.

Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said on Tuesday that security forces in southwest Iran arrested four suspected Islamic State operatives who were planning attacks.

In June 2017, Islamic State militants carried out coordinated attacks at the parliament building in Tehran and the mausoleum of Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini south of the capital, killing at least 18 people.</s>Militants have killed 10 Iranian Revolutionary Guards in an attack on a post on the Iraqi border, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reports, the latest deadly clash in an area where armed opposition Kurdish groups are active.

The agency quoted a Revolutionary Guards statement as saying that several of the attacking "terrorists" were also killed in the fighting in which a munitions depot was blown up.

Provincial security official Hosein Khosheqbal told state television that 11 members of the Guards' voluntary Basij forces were killed in the overnight violence in the Marivan area, which he blamed on the Kurdish armed opposition group PJAK.

"The latest news is that the Basij and Guards forces are in hot pursuit of the attackers," Khosheqbal said.

The Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) - an outlawed group that seeks self-governance for Iran's Kurds and has links to Turkey's militant Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) - operates in the border area, along with other armed Kurdish groups based in northern Iraq.

Earlier this month, the Revolutionary Guards said they had killed three militants in a security operation near the border with Iraq, and nine militants were reported killed by the Guards last month further north on the border.</s>At least 10 members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards were killed when militants attacked one of their bases along the border with Iraq, the force said in a statement on Saturday.

The attack happened on Friday night in the village of Dari, in the Marivan district of Iran's northwestern Kurdistan region, some 620 kilometers (385 miles) west of the capital Tehran.

"The attack by the evil rebels and terrorists against a revolutionary border post and the explosion of a munitions depot caused the martyrdom of 10 fighters," the Guards' ground forces division said in the statement.

There was some confusion over the announcement, as the statement listed 11 names of "martyred" soldiers.

It added that "several terrorists" had also been killed and injured in the clash.

Provincial security official Hosein Khosheqbal told state television that 11 members of the Guards' voluntary Basij forces were killed in the overnight violence, which he blamed on the PKK terrorist group's Iranian offshoot the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK).

"The latest news is that the Basij and Guards forces are in hot pursuit of the attackers," Khosheqbal said.

It was the largest number of Iranian troops killed in a single attack on the Iraqi border in recent years, though the area has seen occasional fighting between Iranian forces and PJAK terrorists as well as militants linked to the Daesh terrorist group.

Earlier this month, the Revolutionary Guards said they had killed three militants in a security operation near the border with Iraq, and nine militants were reported killed by the Guards last month further north on the border.

There is little coordination between Iranian and Iraqi forces over security of the porous border.

Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said on Tuesday that security forces in southwest Iran arrested four suspected Daesh operatives who were planning attacks.

In June 2017, Daesh militants carried out coordinated attacks at the parliament building in Tehran and the mausoleum of Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini south of the capital, killing at least 18 people.</s>Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported on July 21 that militants killed 10 soldiers from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) during an overnight attack near the border with Iraq.

It was the latest deadly clash in an area of Iran where armed opposition Kurdish groups are active.

Tasnim quoted an IRGC statement as saying that several of the attacking "terrorists" also were killed in the fighting and that an ammunition depot was blown up.

Earlier, provincial security official Hosein Khosheqbal told Iranian state television that 11 members of the IRGC’s Basij forces were killed in the overnight violence in the Marivan area.

Khosheqbal blamed the attack on militants from the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) -- an outlawed Kurdish armed opposition group that seeks self-governance for Iran’s Kurds and has links to Turkey’s outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

PJAK operates in the border area along with other armed Kurdish groups that are based in northern Iraq.

There is little coordination between Iranian and Iraqi forces over security of the porous border that has also been used by Islamic State (IS) militants to infiltrate Iran.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, Fars, and Tasnim</s>At least 10 Iranian border guards have been killed in an overnight attack by unidentified gunmen near the Iraqi border, according to media in in Iran.

The incident took place near the town of Marivan, in a Kurdish area of Iran some 620km west of the capital, Tehran, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

"The attack by the evil rebels and terrorists against a revolutionary border post and the explosion of a munitions depot caused the martyrdom of 10 fighters," a statement by the Revolutionary Guards, as quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, said on Saturday.

Provincial security official Hosein Khosheqbal told state television that 11 members of the Guards' voluntary Basij forces were killed in the overnight violence in Marivan, which he blamed on the Kurdish armed opposition group The Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK).

"The latest news is that the Basij [the government-aligned militia] and Guards forces are in hot pursuit of the attackers," Khosheqbal said.

It was not immediately clear why there was a discrepancy in the number of fatalities reported.

It was the largest number of Iranian troops killed in a single attack on the Iraqi border in recent years, though the area has seen occasional fighting between Iranian forces and Kurdish separatists as well as fighters linked to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

Earlier this month, the Revolutionary Guards said they had killed three fighters in a security operation near the border with Iraq. Nine other were reported killed by the Guards last month further north on the border.

There is little coordination between Iranian and Iraqi forces over security of the porous border that has also been used by ISIL to enter Iran.

Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said on Tuesday that security forces in southwest Iran arrested four suspected ISIL operatives who were planning attacks.

In June 2017, ISIL fighters carried out coordinated attacks at the parliament building in Tehran and the mausoleum of Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini south of the capital, killing at least 18 people.</s>10 Iranian troops killed in attack near border with Iraq

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian news agency is reporting 10 border guards have been killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen near the Iraqi border.

The semi-official Fars news agency reported Saturday that the attack took place the night before near the town of Marivan, in a Kurdish area of Iran some 620 kilometers (385 miles) west of the capital Tehran.

Fars reported that during the shootout with the Iranian border guards, several of the attackers were killed and others were injured but gave no further details. It described the attackers as "bandits and counterrevolutionary terrorists."

It was the largest number of Iranian troops killed in a single attack on the Iraqi border in recent years, though the area has seen occasional fighting between Iranian forces and Kurdish separatists as well as militants linked to the Islamic State extremist group.</s>At least 10 members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards's Basij forces were killed overnight in an attack on a military post along the Iraqi border, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said on Saturday.

It was the latest deadly clash in a region where armed Kurdish groups seeking an independent Kurdistan are active.

"The attack by the evil rebels and terrorists against a revolutionary border post and the explosion of a munitions depot caused the martyrdom of 10 fighters," the Guards' ground forces division said in a statement.

The statement added that several attackers were also killed and vowed a "merciless vengeance" on those that remained.

Hosein Khosheqbal, a provincial security official, told state television that 11 members of the Guard's voluntary Basij forces were killed during the fighting , which occurred in the Marivan area, about 600 kilometers (375 miles) west of the capital, Tehran, and just 20 kilometers from the Iraqi border

"The latest news is that the Basij and Guards forces are in hot pursuit of the attackers," Khosheqbal said.

It was the largest number of Iranian troops killed in a single attack along the Iraqi border in recent years.

Several armed Kurdish groups operate in the area, including the Party of Free Life Kurdistan (PJAK), which seeks autonomy for Iran's Kurds. The group is also tied to Turkey's militant Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), which is active in the border region.

The Revolutionary Guard said it killed three militants near the Iraqi border earlier this month amd nine militants further north last month.

Iran and Iraq have failed to coordinate security efforts along the border, resulting in a porous line that has also been used by "Islamic State" (IS) militants to enter Iran.

Iranian Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi announced earlier in the week that security forces had arrested four IS suspects in the southwest of the country. They were believed to be planning attacks.

IS militants carried out coordinated attacks in June 2017 on the Iranian parliament building in Tehran and the mausoleum of Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini south of the capital. At least 18 people were killed in the attacks.

Read more: What is Iran's Revolutonary Guard

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>TEHRAN: At least 10 members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were killed when insurgents attacked one of their bases along the border with Iraq, the force said in a statement on Saturday.

The attack happened on Friday night in the village of Dari, in the Marivan district of Iran’s northwestern Kurdistan region.

"The attack by the evil rebels and terrorists against a revolutionary border post and the explosion of a munitions depot caused the martyrdom of 10 fighters," the Guards’ ground forces division said in the statement.

There was some confusion over the announcement, as the statement listed 11 names of "martyred" soldiers. It added that "several terrorists" had also been killed and injured in the clash.</s>TEHRAN: At least 10 members of Iran´s Revolutionary Guards were killed when insurgents attacked one of their bases along the border with Iraq, the force said in a statement on Saturday.

The attack happened on Friday night in the village of Dari, in the Marivan district of Iran´s northwestern Kurdistan region.

“The attack by the evil rebels and terrorists against a revolutionary border post and the explosion of a munitions depot caused the martyrdom of 10 fighters,” the Guards´ ground forces division said in the statement.

There was some confusion over the announcement, as the statement listed 11 names of “martyred” soldiers. It added that “several terrorists” had also been killed and injured in the clash. “A merciless vengeance awaits them,” the statement added.

Negotiations with US useless, SAYS Khamenei: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday that negotiations with the United States are “useless” because it does not abide by agreements. “As I have previously said, we cannot trust in the words of the United States and even in their signature, so negotiations with the United States are useless,” Khamenei told a gathering of Iranian diplomats in Tehran. “The idea that problems can be resolved through negotiations or relations with the United States is a major error,” he added.

Having withdrawn from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, Washington is determined to isolate Iran and pile on economic pressure with a full reimposition of sanctions, starting in August. Europe opposes the move and has vowed to find ways of maintaining its trade ties with Iran, which under the deal curbed its nuclear programme in exchange for a lifting of sanctions. “Negotiations with the Europeans must continue, but we must not wait for their offer indefinitely,” said Khamenei. President Donald Trump has said he is open to a new deal that would cover not only Iran´s nuclear facilities, but also its missile programme and regional interventions which are seen as a threat to Washington´s Israeli ally.

“The US seeks the return of the situation and their status before the (1979 Islamic) revolution in Iran,” said Khamenei. “They are against the nuclear potential and the power of its (Iran´s) enrichment, and its presence in the region.” Iran was a close ally of the United States up until the revolution.

overturns ban on religious minority councillor: Iranian authorities ruled Saturday that a member of the minority Zoroastrian religion had been wrongly suspended from his post on a city council. Sepanta Niknam, a member of Iran´s ancient Zoroastrian religion, was the only non-Muslim elected to the council in the central city of Yazd in May 2017, but he was suspended later in the year following a complaint by one of his fellow councillors.

It had followed a ruling by the ultra-conservative head of Iran´s Guardian Council, which oversees elections, barring religious minorities from standing in municipal polls. Because the Guardian Council has power only over national elections, the ruling was rejected by parliament, but that did not prevent Niknam´s suspension. On Saturday, Majid Ansari, a member of the Expediency Council which is charged with resolving disputes between Iran´s multiple centres of authority, said they had finally ruled in favour of Niknam. “Today, the Expediency Council ruled that the 1996 law on religious minorities is applicable and they can participate in council elections in their town,” Ansari told the reformist ILNA. He added that Niknam was now free to retake his post on Yazd city council. Iran officially recognises “Iranian Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians” as religious minorities. The national parliament has several religious minority members, including three Christians, a Zoroastrian and a Jew among its 290 deputies. Zoroastrianism was the dominant religion in Persia, prior to the arrival of Islam, but only counts around 25,000 adherents today.</s>TEHRAN : Ten Iranian Revolutionary Guards have been killed by suspected Kurdish fighters in an attack on a post located on the Iraqi border, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency has reported.

The agency quoted a Revolutionary Guards' statement as saying that several of the attacking "terrorists" were also killed in the fighting in which a munitions depot was blown up, the latest deadly clash in an area where Kurdish armed opposition groups are active. The attack happened on Friday night in the village of Dari, in the Marivan district of the northwestern Kurdish region of Iran.

"The attack by the evil rebels and terrorists against a revolutionary border post and the explosion of a munitions depot caused the martyrdom of 10 fighters," the Guards' ground forces division said in the statement.

There was some confusion over the announcement, as the statement listed 11 names of "martyred" soldiers.

Provincial security official Hosein Khosheqbal told state television that 11 members of the Guards' voluntary Basij forces were killed in the overnight violence, which he blamed on the Kurdish armed opposition group the Party of Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK).

"The latest news is that the Basij and Guards forces are in hot pursuit of the attackers," Khosheqbal said.

PJAK, an outlawed group that seeks self-governance for Iran's Kurds and has links to Turkey's Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), operates in the border area, along with other armed Kurdish groups based in northern Iraq.

Earlier this month, the Revolutionary Guards said they had killed three fighters in a security operation near the border with Iraq, and nine fighters were reported killed by the Guards last month further north on the border.
PJAK militants blow up an ammunition dump and kill eleven Iranian border guards stationed at an Iran–Iraq border post in Marivan County. Several militants are killed in return.