The minister made the remarks in an interview with Iran daily newspaper published on Sunday, referring to a security deal concluded between Tehran and Baghdad.

He stressed that Tehran will not extend the ultimatum given to Iraq to disarm and relocate Kurdish separatist groups along the border with Iran, warning Baghdad of an "eleventh-hour decision" on the matter.

"We do not have any extension [to the deadline]. We will act in due time in accordance with the agreement made [with Iraq]," Brig. Gen. Ashtiani stated.

The defense chief said the Iraqi government has carried out a series of measures, adding that Iran will conduct a last-minute assessment of the situation before making the final decision.

Tehran has long accused Iraq's Kurdish region of harbouring militant groups involved in attacks against Iran. Iran has repeatedly stressed it will not tolerate the presence of terrorist groups along its joint border with the Iraq or on Iraqi soil. 

Following a series of meetings at various levels in both Iran and Iraq, Tehran and Baghdad reached a deal to disarm and relocate the terrorist groups based in Northern Iraq.

“An agreement has been struck between Tehran and Baghdad, in which Iraq has committed to disarm armed separatists and terrorist groups present in its territory, close their bases and relocate them to other locations before the 19th of September,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kana'ani told reporters in late August.

Tehran had made it clear that the ultimatum will not be extended beyond September 19. Baghdad, for its part, pledged that it is committed to the security pact with Tehran to disarm and relocate terror groups based in semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has recently announced that the terrorist groups will be transferred to camps supervised by the United Nations.

Since late September 2022, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has launched a series of aerial operations on the headquarters of terrorist groups in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. The military operation came after the illegal entry of armed teams linked with the Kurdish terrorist groups into the Iranian border cities in recent months.

The Permanent Mission of Iran to the UN had announced that diplomacy has failed to bring an end to the presence of terrorists in Kurdistan region and the terror activities in the Arab country has left Tehran with no other option but to use military force against them.

The IRGC Ground Force has announced that the operations against terror bases will continue until all anti-Iran separatist and terrorist outfits holed up in the rugged mountainous area lay down their arms and surrender.

The Iranian Armed Forces, specially the IRGC, have repeatedly warned that they will never tolerate the presence and activity of terrorist groups along the Northwestern border and will give crushing and decisive responses in case of anti-security activities.

The IRGC has on countless occasions attacked and demolished terrorist hideouts in the Kurdistan region with artillery fire, missiles and drones.

Military officials warn of Tehran’s continued attacks against the strongholds of anti-revolutionary groups in the region, specially the Iraqi Kurdistan region. They threatened the Americans that their bases in the region should also be abolished and not be used as an anti-revolutionary center.