IRGC commander killed in clashes with gunmen in Iran's restive south-east

An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, Brig Gen Hossein Zarifi, lost his life during clashes with armed men in Iran's troubled Sistan and Baluchestan province, according to state media reports. Zarifi, who led the IRGC's Shahid Sajjad base in Saravan, was killed while engaged in an operation against what Iranian authorities called an "enemy-backed" militant group.

Intense gunfire was reported in the Jihadabad area of Saravan, located approximately 50km from the Iranian-Pakistan border, with fighting still ongoing early Thursday.

The IRGC's regional base disclosed in a statement carried by Tasnim news agency that Brig Gen Zarifi "gave his life on the front line of battle." The official Irna news agency reported that security forces comprising the IRGC, Intelligence Ministry, and police targeted a "terrorist group" suspected of planning an attack in Saravan. The report added that five members of the group were killed, and several others were arrested, with weapons and ammunition seized from the hideout.

Zarifi's death underscores the escalating security situation in Sistan-Baluchestan, a region bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan, which has long been plagued by attacks by Baloch armed groups and confrontations with Iranian security forces. Recent weeks have seen a series of raids and confrontations in the province, with Iranian authorities attributing the heightened tensions to intensified operations against armed groups.

In April 2022, Brig Gen Hossein Almassi, another IRGC commander in the region, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt when gunmen opened fire on his convoy at a checkpoint in Zahedan. Zarifi's bodyguard, Mahmoud Absalan, was killed in that attack.