Seven Iran guards killed in rebel clashes -report

TEHRAN, May 31 (Reuters) Seven Iranian border guards were killed this week in clashes with ''armed terrorists'' in an area near Turkey, a newspaper said today, a day after 10 rebels were reported killed in the same region.

The Hamshahri daily said the guards were killed on Monday near the town of Salmas in West Azerbaijan, a northwestern province inhabited by ethnic Azeris as well as some Kurds.

Iranian media reported on Wednesday the country's Revolutionary Guards had killed 10 ''anti-revolutionary'' rebels near Salmas during a three-day operation aimed at clearing the border areas.

''Seven border guards were martyred in clashes with armed terrorists in the west of the country ... on Monday night,'' Hamshahri said.

It also said some Revolutionary Guards were wounded.

The clashes follow an announcement by the Intelligence Ministry on Saturday that it had uncovered spy networks, mostly near its western borders, working for U.S. and British intelligence services.

Iran has often accused the United States and Britain of trying to undermine the security of the Islamic Republic by supporting rebels operating in sensitive border regions.

Iranian Kurdish rebels linked to Turkish Kurd guerrilla group Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) usually operate in other parts of northwestern Iran.

REUTERS PJ ND1604