Armed men attacked a courthouse in Zahedan on Saturday, located in Iran’s troubled southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan. The gunmen stormed the building and opened fire indiscriminately at civilians in the area, wounding people and damaging property. Unofficial reports indicate that at least five people were killed and several were injured, but the overall extent of the damage remains unclear, according Tasnim News Agency.

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Some of the wounded were evacuated from the building and taken by ambulance to nearby medical centers. A large security force also evacuated the court’s staff from the scene.

The Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for the aggression. The group opposes Iran’s Shia-led government and seeks independence for Sistan and Baluchestan. It operates along the border between Iran and Pakistan.

Jaish al-Adl, designated a terrorist organization by the Islamic Republic, was also behind a series of coordinated assaults in April 2024 targeting Revolutionary Guard bases and two police stations. Those attacks left at least 30 people dead, including 10 members of Iran’s security forces.

Sistan and Baluchestan is a predominantly Sunni region where extremist Sunni groups hostile to Tehran’s Shia administration are active.

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