Senior IRGC commander killed in clashes in southeast Iran

A senior commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Hossein Zarifi, was killed in clashes with armed men in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan on Wednesday, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency. Zarifi, the commander of the IRGC’s Shahid Sajjad Operational Base in Saravan, lost his life during the operation.

Five members of the armed group targeted were killed, and others were arrested, the IRGC stated, though the specific militant group was not identified. The authenticity of these casualty figures could not be independently verified. Earlier in the day, Tasnim reported that Iranian security forces had launched an operation against a safe house in Saravan’s Jahadabad area, where armed men were allegedly gathered.

Iran International, citing the Baloch rights group Haalvsh, reported at least 13 security force members were seriously wounded, though this figure could not be independently confirmed. Saravan, situated near Iran’s border with Pakistan, has witnessed frequent clashes between security forces and armed groups. On September 12, the IRGC reported three Iranian intelligence and security personnel, along with four suspected militants, were killed during another operation in the region. Zarifi had served in the region for over a decade. His funeral is scheduled for Friday in Saravan.