Nagdi insisted in comments quoted by “Tasnim” news agency that the arrests took place in Kurdistan.

The commander of the Iranian Basij forces, Major General Mohammad Reza Nagdi, has been accused of fabricating claims that his country’s intelligence officers have arrested two British diplomats and another Frenchman, on charges of “spying on Iranian military centers for the benefit of ISIS,” according to Iranian Fars news agency.

But a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry has denied the claims. Adding that the visit to “the areas have been officially authorized and coordinated by the ministry.”

He said: “These people’s car has been stopped by the concerned in the province authorities, but after verification of their documents, they continued their way.”

But later Nagdi insisted in comments quoted by “Tasnim” news agency that “the arrests took place in Kurdistan, west Iran, after they have been caught taking pictures of sensitive military centers to the benefit of ISIS”.

Meanwhile, Fars news agency quoted Russian media outlets as claiming that the recent visit by the French and British diplomats to Kermanshah province in Western Iran was aimed at gathering intelligence on the country’s airbase in Hamadan from which the anti-terrorism flights of the Russian fighter jets in Syria have been carried out for the last few days.

It added that Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed last Tuesday that it had deployed Tu-22M3 bombers and Su-34 strike fighters in Iran and these have already carried out airstrikes against terrorists in Syria.

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