Zahedan, Iran – A deadly assault on a courthouse in Iran’s restive Sistan-Baluchestan province on Friday has left six people dead, including a child, and 20 others injured, according to reports from Iranian state media.
The attack took place in the provincial capital Zahedan, where armed assailants launched a coordinated gun and grenade attack on the judicial complex. Iranian security forces responded swiftly, managing to kill three attackers on the spot. The identities of the victims have not been officially released.
The militant group Jaish al-Adl, which operates in the eastern border regions of Iran and seeks greater autonomy for the country’s Sunni Baluch population, is suspected of orchestrating the assault. The group has been involved in multiple attacks targeting Iranian security and state infrastructure over the past decade.
Sistan-Baluchestan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long been a flashpoint of insurgency and sectarian unrest. The region is predominantly Sunni, in contrast to Iran’s Shia-majority population, and has seen repeated clashes between militant groups and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Friday’s courthouse attack follows a series of violent incidents in the region, including the Chabahar-Rask clashes in April 2024, in which dozens of militants and security personnel were killed, and a deadly attack on a police station in Rask in December 2023.
Iranian authorities have vowed to intensify security operations in the region, pledging to bring those responsible to justice and prevent further attacks on judicial and government institutions.
This story has been reported by PakTribune. All rights reserved.