At least five people were killed and 13 injured in a brazen attack on a courthouse in Iran's southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province on Saturday, according to semi-official Iranian media reports. The assault, claimed by the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl, involved gunfire and explosions near the judges' chambers in Zahedan, the provincial capital.
Iran's Tasnim and Fars news agencies reported that assailants stormed the building, with witnesses describing chaotic scenes as security personnel clashed with attackers. HAALVSH, a Baluch human rights organization, stated that judiciary staff and security forces were among the casualties.
The attack highlights ongoing tensions in the ethnically diverse region bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan. Sistan and Baluchestan's Sunni Baluch minority has long raised concerns about economic marginalization, while Iranian authorities accuse armed groups of cross-border smuggling and foreign-backed insurgency.
This incident marks one of the deadliest attacks in the province this year, occurring amid heightened regional security challenges. Analysts note that such violence could impact cross-border trade routes and energy infrastructure projects in the strategic Chabahar port region.
