TEHRAN – Two members of Iran’s volunteer security forces have been killed in an armed attack in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, the Quds Base of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force announced in a statement on Saturday.

According to the statement, the victims—identified as Esmaeil Shaverzi and Mokhtar Shahouzehi—were local Sunni members of the Basij volunteer force. They came under attack while accompanying a security convoy traveling along the highway between the city of Khash and the provincial capital, Zahedan. Both sustained critical injuries and later succumbed to their wounds.

IRGC member martyred in Sistan and Baluchestan

Separately, In Iranshahr County in the same province, Mohammad Siahani, an IRGC member, was martyred by unidentified armed assailants on the Bampur–Delgan road. On the evening of Friday, Siahani’s vehicle came under gunfire by internal operatives affiliated with hostile and terrorist groups. The cause and details of the incident are currently under investigation by police and security forces.

The province, which borders Pakistan, has long been the scene of terrorist assaults targeting civilians and security personnel alike. Iranian officials have consistently blamed such attacks on foreign-backed terrorist networks, mostly backed by Israel. 

Authorities stress that persistent security threats in the region necessitate a strong and coordinated military and police presence, including rapid counterterrorism operations.

In a recent example, security forces in late August neutralized at least eight terrorists linked to a deadly ambush earlier that month in Iranshahr County’s Daman District, which left five police officers dead. The terrorist group Jaish al-Adl, known for its cross-border activities from Pakistani soil, later claimed responsibility for that assault.

Earlier, in October, the IRGC’s Quds Force condemned the killing of Baluch Sunni tribal elders in Sistan and Baluchestan, attributing the attacks to what it described as Israeli-linked terrorist groups.

“Mercenary outfits affiliated with the Zionist regime once again exposed their anti-Islamic nature through these recent crimes—the killing of several elders and chiefs of Sunni ethnic groups,” the Quds Force said, warning that those responsible would face decisive punishment. The statement emphasized that such acts would not weaken the unity of Muslims in the province.

Tehran has repeatedly accused Israel of funding and arming terrorist and separatist groups in Iran’s border regions, particularly in Sistan and Baluchestan, where dozens of civilians and security forces have been killed in recent years. Similar attacks have also plagued Pakistan’s border provinces.

Following the Iran–Israel war in June, Iranian officials say the Zionist regime has intensified its destabilization efforts in the southeast, aiming to foment unrest and create social chaos in the region.