"The core of the Komalah communist terrorist group was identified and its members detained," general intelligence office of Kurdistan province said in a statement published by Tasnim news agency.

It did not specify how many people were arrested or when the operation took place.

Members of the group, which is active in the border region with Iraq, "were directed from abroad" and aimed to cause security problems during Quds (Jerusalem) Day and Labour Day rallies on Friday and Sunday, respectively, the intelligence office said.

Komalah, a Marxist Kurdish group outlawed since the Islamic revolution of 1979, has often clashed with security forces in northwest Iran, which has a sizeable Kurdish population.

The group, established in 1969, worked underground during the shah's rule.