IRGC Says It Struck US, Israel-Linked Groups Allegedly Smuggling Arms Into Iran

Key points

• IRGC Says It Struck US, Israel-Linked Groups Allegedly Smuggling Arms Into Iran Published By, Last Updated: May 18, 2026, 19:03 IST IRGC said the groups were operating from northern Iraq and were “acting on behalf of the US and the Zionist regime”.
• Iran's IRGC soldiers disembarking from a military helicopter during a drill.
• (AFP file photo) Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday said that its forces struck groups linked to the United States and Israel in the western province of Kurdistan, near the border with Iraq.
• In a statement carried by the ISNA news agency, the Guards said the groups were operating from northern Iraq and were “acting on behalf of the US and the Zionist regime" when they attempted to smuggle a large shipment of American weapons and ammunition into Iranian territory.
• The IRGC said the operation targeted the city of Baneh in the Kurdistan region.