Five Killed in Jaish al-Adl Attack on Iranian Courthouse

At least five people were killed and 13 injured in an armed attack by the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl on a courthouse in Zahedan, the capital of Iran’s restive Sistan-Baluchestan province, according to Iranian state media. Three attackers were also killed in subsequent clashes with security forces, a senior police official told the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

The assailants hurled hand grenades at the courthouse, targeting judicial staff and security personnel. Among the victims were a mother and her child, the official reported. The Baluch human rights group HAALVSH, citing eyewitnesses, stated that the attackers stormed judges’ chambers, killing or wounding several judiciary employees and guards. Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for the attack via its Telegram channel, urging civilians to evacuate the conflict zone for safety.

Sistan-Baluchestan, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, is home to Iran’s Sunni Muslim Baluch minority, who have long alleged political marginalization and economic deprivation. The province frequently witnesses clashes between security forces and Sunni militant groups or separatists, whom the Iranian government accuses of ties to foreign powers and involvement in cross-border smuggling and anti-state conspiracies.