Zahedan Attack: Three officers, three others killed in Iranian courthouse attack

Gunmen launched a deadly assault on a courthouse in southeastern Iran on Saturday, killing at least six people, including three security officers, and injuring 22 others, the majority of whom were civilians, according to Iranian judicial authorities.

The attack occurred in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province, a volatile region known for militant and sectarian violence.

Iran’s judiciary outlet, Mizan Online, initially reported five deaths but later confirmed the toll had risen to six.

Provincial chief justice Ali Movahedi-Rad said the attackers, disguised as ordinary visitors, were wearing explosive vests and attempted to infiltrate the building.

Their attempt was thwarted, and all three attackers were subsequently killed by security forces, as confirmed by the Quds Headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Alireza Daliri, deputy police commander of the province, said the assailants threw a grenade into the courthouse during the attack, escalating the level of destruction.

The Iranian media reported that Jaish al-Adl, a Baloch jihadist group operating out of Pakistan but active in Iran, claimed responsibility.

The group, whose name translates to “Army of Justice,” has carried out several past attacks targeting Iranian forces.

Sistan-Baluchistan, located roughly 1,200 kilometres southeast of Tehran, borders Pakistan and Afghanistan and is home to the Sunni Muslim Baloch minority in Shiite-majority Iran.

The province frequently experiences violent clashes involving separatists, radical Sunni factions, and drug smugglers.

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Saturday’s attack adds to a string of violent incidents in the region, including an October ambush that left 10 police officers dead.