Fighting erupted before dawn Saturday in southeastern Iran, killing people on both sides.
Iranian security forces clashed with unidentified gunmen in the Bakhshan area of Saravan, a city in Sistan and Baluchestan province, starting around 4 a.m. local time. Dozens of military and security personnel moved into the neighborhood before the shooting began.
The Baloch rights group Haalvsh, along with Iran International, reported attacks on at least three security vehicles, repeated explosions, and blocked roads near a local mosque. Fighting later spread toward the Great Madani Mosque and into parts of Jahadabad. Ambulances were spotted in the area, according to local sources cited by Haalvsh.
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As originally reported, Haalvsh sources claimed dozens of security personnel were killed or wounded, though those figures have not been independently verified. The identities of the gunmen and the precise cause of the confrontation were not immediately confirmed by outside accounts.
Iranian officials offered a different framing. State media and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the operation was a coordinated effort involving the IRGC, the General Intelligence Directorate, and police. Authorities said the target was a group that had assembled in Saravan planning to carry out attacks or assassinations. The official death toll from the Iranian side: three security personnel killed. Officials said four to five gunmen also died. Weapons, ammunition, and explosives were recovered at the scene.
Deputy Governor Ali Khalilabadi said a large number of the group’s members were killed or wounded, and that the operation to clear the site was continuing. No group has claimed responsibility as of this report.
The province where this happened is one of Iran’s most volatile. Sistan and Baluchestan borders both Pakistan and Afghanistan and is home to a Sunni Baloch minority living in a Shia-majority country. It ranks among the poorest provinces in Iran, marked by high unemployment and weak infrastructure.
Security forces have clashed repeatedly in the region with armed groups, including Jaish al-Adl, as well as with smugglers. In late 2025, Jaish al-Adl and several other Baloch organizations announced they were merging into a single organization called the People’s Fighters Front. Saravan itself has been the scene of earlier gun battles.
The clash comes as Iran contends with significant economic pressure tied to U.S. sanctions, including restrictions on oil exports and financial access. Iranian officials and independent analysts have documented currency strain, reduced trade, and shortages. In Sistan and Baluchestan, poverty and underdevelopment have been chronic problems well before the current economic squeeze, though sanctions have further limited investment and local development in the region.
