Five killed in courthouse attack in Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province

An armed attack by the Sunni Jaish al-Adl Baluch group on a courthouse in Iran’s restive southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province killed at least five people and injured 13, Iranian media said, Report informs via Reuters.

Three assailants were also killed in the ensuing clashes with security forces, a senior police official told the state news agency IRNA.

He said a mother and child were among those killed by the gunmen who threw a hand grenade into the building in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan and Baluchestan.

In a statement posted on its Telegram account, Jaish al-Adl took responsibility for the attack and urged "all civilians to immediately evacuate the area of clashes for their safety".

The Baluch human rights group HAALVSH, quoting eyewitnesses, said several judiciary staff members and security personnel were killed or wounded when the assailants stormed the judges’ chambers.

Sistan and Baluchestan province, near the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, is home to Iran’s Sunni Muslim Baluch minority, who have long complained of economic marginalization and political exclusion.

The province frequently sees clashes between security forces and armed groups, including Sunni militants and separatists who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy. The Iranian government accuses some of them of ties to foreign powers and involvement in cross-border smuggling and insurgency.

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Unidentified gunmen attacked the courthouse in the city of Zahedan in Iran’s southeastern restive Sistan-Baluchestan province on Saturday, Iranian media said, Report informs via Iran International.

Iranian Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said emergency services and security forces were deployed to the scene following the attack.

No further details have been released.

According to the rights group Halvash, the attackers stormed the courthouse building on Azadi Street, directly targeting judges' offices. Citing eyewitnesses, the group said several judiciary staff and security personnel were killed or injured in the attack.

Halvash stated that multiple rooms were hit by gunfire and that the area around the courthouse remains under tight security, with access restricted. The identity and motive of the attackers were not known, and no group has claimed responsibility.

Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province has long been a flashpoint for violence, frequently targeted by Jaish al-Adl, which is known for ambushes, bombings, and armed attacks that have claimed the lives of both civilians and security forces.