Iranian police officer killed in attack in restive southeast

On Tuesday, Iranian police reported that one of their officers, Third Lieutenant Hojat Vafakardeh, had been killed in an attack by unidentified assailants in the restive southeast province of Sistan-Baluchistan. The province, one of Iran's poorest, has a history of clashes between security forces and armed groups, including separatist factions.

This attack occurred in Saravan county, where police and security forces are actively seeking to identify and apprehend those responsible. It remains unclear who carried out the attack, which targeted a Criminal Investigation Police officer. The region has been plagued by violence, with recent reports of terrorist groups attacking vehicles carrying engineers and contractors in the same area.

On Monday, the Revolutionary Guards also claimed to have ambushed a terrorist team, killing one and arresting several others. Intelligence officials reported dismantling four operational cells of a terrorist-takfiri group, arresting 16 individuals and detaining three more for allegedly sending information to US-Zionist centers. In mid-October, two more security force members were killed in separate attacks by gunmen in the region.