Senior IRGC Commander Killed in Intense Clashes with Armed Group in Southeastern Iran

An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander has lost his life during an armed confrontation with militants in Iran’s volatile south-east province of Sistan and Baluchestan, according to state media reports.

Brig Gen Hossein Zarifi, who led the IRGC’s Shahid Sajjad base in Saravan, was killed while carrying out an operation directed at an alleged "enemy-backed" militant group. Local reports from the Baloch rights group Haalvsh noted that heavy gunfire persisted early Thursday in the Jihadabad area of Saravan, situated roughly 50km away from Iran’s border with Pakistan.

A statement from the IRGC’s regional base, published by the Tasnim news agency, confirmed that Brig Gen Zarifi "gave his life on the front line of battle." Meanwhile, the official Irna news agency stated that personnel from the IRGC, the Intelligence Ministry, and local police had successfully targeted a designated "terrorist group" that allegedly plotted an imminent strike in Saravan.

According to Irna, five individuals from the targeted group died in the raid, several others faced arrest, and authorities confiscated weapons and ammunition from their stronghold. Tasnim added that the security operation stemmed from actionable intelligence gathered through a public tip-off.

These violent clashes coincide with a broader surge in security crackdowns targeting armed factions throughout Sistan-Baluchestan, with Iranian authorities launching numerous raids around Saravan over recent weeks. The region, sharing borders with both Afghanistan and Pakistan, has historically witnessed frequent confrontations between Iranian security forces and Baloch armed groups.

Past incidents in the area include an April 2022 attack where Brig Gen Hossein Almassi narrowly escaped injury after gunmen targeted his convoy at a checkpoint in Zahedan, resulting in the death of his bodyguard Mahmoud Absalan. Years prior, in February 2019, a major bombing aimed at a bus transporting paramilitary forces left at least 27 dead, an attack later claimed by Jaish Al Adl.

Addressing the latest incident, Haalvsh indicated that the People’s Fighters Front participated in the recent fighting and reported additional casualties on the Iranian side, including intelligence officer Ahmad Herati Zeraati. Haalvsh also documented heavy security deployments around Razi Hospital in Saravan, noting road blockages, the discharge of maternity patients without consent, and local internet disruptions.

This confrontation follows another deadly security sweep in Saravan earlier this month, which resulted in the deaths of five members belonging to an armed cell alongside three security personnel. While Iranian officials consistently label these armed factions as terrorist organizations, local rights groups continue to report grievances regarding heavy-handed tactics and abuses in the province.