Khamenei adviser: IS warned about Iraq shrines
The military adviser for Iran's supreme leader said the Islamic State was warned about approaching Shiite shrines.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's military adviser, Gen. Yayha Rahim Safavi, talked about Iran’s involvement in Iraq and Syria and said that Iran had sent a warning to the Islamic State (IS).
“[IS] wanted to come toward the holy shrines," Safavi said during a June 28 speech in Karaj just outside of Tehran. "We gave them a message that if they come close to holy shrines, we will enter the battle directly and you know you do not have the ability to confront Iranian Basiji.”
Safavi did not say when this message was issued or how.
Iraq is home to a number of Shiite shrines that are an important symbolic presence for Iranians and a destination of pilgrimage for millions of Iranians each year.
