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Tabnak, an Iranian media outlet, published a report yesterday exposing images of a huge stockpile of confiscated weapons - on their way to Iran - seized by the Iraqi authorities in Sulaymaniyah, east of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, which isn't too far from the Iraqi-Iranian border. 

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Tabnak writes that this was the largest weapon smuggling operation thwarted so far, a part of the series of arms being smuggled into Iran to incite further civil unrest and violence. 

Kalashnikov rifles, pistols, and ammunition are visibly exposed right in front of an arrested suspect in an orange jumpsuit. Behind the suspect is a logo of the Asayesh, the Kurdish intelligence body of the Iraqi Kurdistan region. 

Iranian security forces have been on high alert for preventing the flow of illicit weapons into their country to arm the rioters. 

Last week, Iranian intelligence busted a weapon smuggling ring attempting to hack into Iran through the Sistan and Baluchestan provinces. 

More often than not, said weapons are usually smuggled into the country through the Iraqi Kurdistan region, reaching the hands of rioters and separatist groups. From the start of the violent riots till now, 60 of Iran's security forces have been killed. 

Bolton: Iranian opposition is armed

Former US national security chief, John Bolton, has recently openly admitted that the "opposition" in Iran is armed, and that their weapons are being smuggled from the Iraqi Kurdistan region. 

Bolton made the remarks during an interview with the London-based BBC Persian TV channel.

“The Iranian opposition is now being armed, with weapons seized from the Basij, or weapons entering Iran from Iraqi Kurdistan. This reveals the perspective that the systematic effort of the opposition not only to protest but to use coercive force against the government, with the message that we are no longer unarmed, and can fight against the IRGC. This shows that the position of the Islamic Republic is more vulnerable than ever,” he said.

BBC Persian TV's Senior Presenter, Iranian-British journalist Rana Rahimpour, who has recently unknowingly revealed in a leaked audio that the real purpose of provoking the riots in Iran is to divide the country, attempted to comment on Bolton's claims to refute them, in order to stick to the BBC's narrative: “Although Mr. Bolton, there is still no evidence that the protestors that have taken to the streets are armed."

However, Bolton insisted on proving that the protestors were armed, stressing: “Well let me just say, there are social media reports and videos coming out of Iran that do show that the opposition has weapons, that show security forces running from the opposition, and there have even been fire exchanges, and I don’t believe that government suppression, especially in Kurdistan…I don’t think the people of Kurdistan would tolerate it”.

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Officials from the Iran Revolution Guard Corps have previously revealed that the Iraqi Kurdistan region is home to “1,200 military camps [with] 3,000 armed terrorists.”