Two security personnel killed in armed attack in southeastern Iran

At least two Iranian security personnel were killed when gunmen attacked a vehicle carrying food and logistical equipment for members of the Basij militia in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan and Baluchistan province.

Ali Jalilabadi, the province’s deputy governor for security and public order, said armed men attacked the vehicle. He described the incident as “terrorist and cowardly,” according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency. Jalilabadi said the relevant authorities would provide further details.

The attack came one day after at least two people were killed in the same province during an operation that Iranian authorities described as targeting a terrorist cell linked to the United States and Israel. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the cell intended to carry out “terrorist acts as part of the U.S. war.”

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Terrorist and cowardly.

Sistan and Baluchistan borders Pakistan and Afghanistan and is predominantly Sunni. Armed Sunni groups opposed to Tehran’s Shiite government operate there, alongside smuggling and drug-trafficking gangs. The province regularly sees clashes between Iranian security forces and armed groups, including Jaish al-Adl, which seeks independence for the region and is designated a terrorist organization by Iran.

Since the start of the war with the United States and Israel on Feb. 28, Iranian authorities have detained thousands of people accused of being “spies” and “traitors to the homeland,” amid tighter security measures and intensified pressure on opposition groups and participants in January protests.

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Terrorist acts as part of the U.S. war.