TEHRAN: Four terrorists were killed, and two Iranian police officials lost their lives in a grenade attack on a police station in Zahedan, the capital of Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province, according to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). The attack was carried out by armed assailants who hurled grenades to force their way into the police station. The IRGC confirmed in a statement that all four terrorists involved in the attack had been killed.
The incident occurred at 07:15 local time (03:45 GMT) and Iranian security forces swiftly responded to the scene to take control of the situation. Deputy Governor for Security Affairs Ali Reza Marhamati stated that the attackers were neutralized before they could enter the police station. Authorities have denied reports suggesting that the attack was a suicide operation.
Frequent Attacks in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan Province
Sistan-Baluchestan province, home to the Baluchi minority, is one of Iran’s economically disadvantaged regions. In May, the province witnessed one of its deadliest attacks in months when five Iranian border guards were killed during clashes with an armed group in Saravan, southeast of Zahedan. State media described the attackers as a “terrorist group seeking to infiltrate the country,” noting that they fled the scene after sustaining injuries.
Zahedan has been previously marked by protests in September, resulting in numerous deaths, following allegations of a teenage girl being raped by a police officer. Moreover, in late May, a police official stated that “Taliban forces” had opened fire on an Iranian police station in Sistan-Baluchestan, a drought-affected region that shares a border with Afghanistan. The two countries have been engaged in a dispute over water rights. While Iranian police did not disclose the casualties of that incident, local news agency Mehr reported the death of an Iranian border guard. The ruling Taliban in Afghanistan confirmed the loss of one person on each side.
