Armed Kurdish separatist groups sought to cross the border into Iran from Iraq in a sign of foreign entities potentially seeking to take advantage of instability after days of crackdown on protests against Tehran.

Axar.az reports, citing Reuters, the three sources, who included a senior Iranian official and who all spoke on condition of anonymity, said neighbouring Turkiye's intelligence agency had warned Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) of the Kurdish fighters crossing the frontier in recent days.

The Iranian official said the IRGC had clashed with the Kurdish fighters, who the official said sought to create instability and take advantage of the protests. The Guards are an elite force that has suppressed previous bouts of unrest in Iran.