TEHRAN -- Iran’s recent security and wartime conditions have transformed the role of the country’s police force, with the Law Enforcement Command (FARAJA) developing the readiness to undertake defensive and tactical missions alongside its conventional policing duties, the force’s deputy commander said Wednesday.
Brig. Gen. Qassem Rezaei said FARAJA has adapted its missions to the changing nature of threats facing Iran, including the requirements of asymmetric warfare.
“Today, FARAJA cannot be considered merely a police force; this force, in accordance with conditions and threats, in addition to its law-enforcement missions, has the necessary readiness to play defensive and tactical roles,” Rezaei said.
He stressed that the transformation applies across Iran, particularly in border areas, where police forces operate alongside the country’s armed forces.
“That same traffic officer who today performs service duties at the city level, controls speed and deals with traffic violations will, in special circumstances and when needed, be a ready and trained force for carrying out other missions,” he said.
The remarks carry particular significance for Iran’s western and northwestern border regions, which became a key security front during the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. 
Washington openly acknowledged efforts to arm rioters in Iran through Kurdish intermediaries, while U.S. and Israeli officials were reported to have explored using Kurdish terrorists in a ground invasion of northwestern Iran.
Rezaei said FARAJA’s readiness is part of a broader national response to such threats, with security, defense, social cohesion and
 diplomacy operating as interconnected components.
“The armed forces are in the defensive field, the people in the social arena, the government in the field of service delivery, and the diplomatic apparatus in the international arena, each pursuing their responsibilities,” he said.
He also warned that Iran’s adversaries are seeking to exploit internal divisions through pressure and false dichotomies.
“The enemy is trying to create division and discord through pressure and false dichotomies, but the Iranian nation, by preserving national cohesion, will not allow these objectives to be achieved,” Rezaei said.
His comments came as Iran continues to forge national security as extending beyond conventional military defense, with border protection, domestic security, public cohesion and diplomatic activity forming parts of a broader response to external pressure.
Rezaei said Iran’s response to threats could not be confined to one institution or arena, with the armed forces, government, people and diplomatic establishment each expected to fulfill their respective responsibilities.
The police deputy chief further stressed that security remains essential to Iran’s economic resilience, particularly in border provinces. 
He said sustained security creates the conditions for investment, employment and development, while lawful cross-border trade should be facilitated and smuggling confronted.
“If there is no security, investment and development will not be achieved,” Rezaei said.