TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's state TV says the country's intelligence agency has arrested 44 suspects charged with terrorist activities.

Tuesday's report quotes the intelligence minister, Mahmoud Alavi, as saying that "more than 20 terrorist suspects" were detained at the border before crossing into Iraq and Syria to join militants there. He didn't elaborate but the implication was the suspects have links to the Islamic State group.

Alavi also said about 24 suspects were detained in various Iranian cities for unspecified terror activities. He did not identify any of the suspects.

Iran backs Syrian President Bashar Assad's government and also Iraq's Shiite-dominated authorities and has provided both with advisers in the fight against the Islamic State group.

Tehran occasionally announces the arrests or capture of terror suspects, without releasing more details.

By AP