TEHRAN -- Iran has expressed its readiness to maintain cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the fight against terrorism.

Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent Friday hosted the 17th meeting of the secretaries of the SCO Security Councils, during which the heads of delegations considered a number of issues aimed at combating new challenges, including terrorism.

In statements made at the meeting, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the Islamic Republic is fully ready to cooperate with SCO member countries in the fight against terrorism, extremism, organized crime and drug trafficking.

He stressed that Iran, as a victim of international terrorism, condemns this scourge in all its forms. The Iranian minister also pointed out that his country is hosting 4.5 million Afghan refugees and emphasized that UN assistance in this regard is insignificant.

He also noted that the Islamic Republic is ready to share its experiences with other countries to address the problems related to Afghanistan. However, he warns that unilateral coercive measures applied by certain countries hinder the fight against terrorism and extremism.

Determined to ensure its security at the highest levels, Iranian intelligence, for its part, gives tough answers to countries that support terrorism in Iran. 

 

Judiciary Official Meets Families of Terror Victims

 

An Iranian Judiciary official has made clear the country’s seriousness about putting terrorist groups on trial.

In a meeting with the families of a number of Iranian victims of assassination attacks, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy Judiciary chief for international affairs and secretary of the country’s High Council for Human Rights, emphasized that the Judiciary is very serious about taking action against terrorist groups and their activities.

He said the High Council for Human Rights’ top priorities in the international arena are to counter the sanctions, safeguard the rights of victims of sanctions, and bring terrorist groups to justice.

More than 17,000 Iranians, many of them civilians, have been killed at the hands of the terrorist Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) in different acts of terrorism including bombings in public places, and targeted killings.

The MKO - listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international community - fled Iran in 1986 for Iraq and was given a camp by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

They fought on the side of Saddam during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-88). They were also involved in the bloody repression of Shia Muslims in southern Iraq in 1991 and the massacre of Iraqi Kurds.