The death toll from clashes near the cities of Zahedan and Rask in Sistan-Baluchestan province on Oct. 1-2 varies depending on the source reporting it. According to the hardline Kayhan newspaper, the Quds Base of the IRGC Ground Forces announced that it had neutralized "a terrorist team" in the region and that six people had been killed.
According to Kayhan's report, which cited the Mehr news agency, the IRGC said that following a tip from the public and intelligence work, it identified and struck a group allegedly preparing terrorist acts in the region, and that six people were killed in the operation. In a separate statement, the IRGC also announced that a roadside bomb in Sistan-Baluchestan had caused the death of an "Islamic mujahid" (one of its own members), describing it as a "blind" act of retaliation resorted to by "the enemy and mercenaries" after a string of defeats.
On the same dates, the London-based opposition outlet Iran International, citing the Iran-based human rights site Haalvsh, reported a different picture: at least five Fatemiyoun militiamen were killed in an attack by gunmen in the Rudmahi area of Zahedan; at the same time, an hours-long clash took place in Rask between government forces and gunmen; and the intelligence service's news center building in the town of Nukabad in Taftan came under armed attack. According to Iran International's English-language service, the vehicle in the Fatemiyoun convoy was first hit by a roadside explosive and then fired upon; the IRGC, apparently referring to the same bombing, announced that only one mujahid had been killed. This discrepancy in numbers between the two sources has not been confirmed.
The opposition-aligned NCRI (National Council of Resistance of Iran) reported that six people were killed in a joint IRGC-police operation in the Manzelab area near Zahedan on Oct. 1, and that hours later a police officer was killed in an armed attack on the Ahmadabad checkpoint in Rask. Although this figure matches Kayhan's "six people," it has not been confirmed whether the two sources are referring to the same operation or to different incidents.
How the Persian press covered it
| Source (orientation) | Headline / framing |
|---|---|
| Kayhan (Hardline) | "Terrorist team destroyed in Zahedan, 6 killed" — the incident is presented as a security success for the IRGC. |
| Iran International (Opposition, London) | "Haalvsh site reports 5 Fatemiyoun members killed in Zahedan" — the incident is presented as an attack on security forces/an allied militia. |
Context
Sistan-Baluchestan is an Iranian province with a predominantly Sunni Baluch population, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, and has for years been the scene of clashes between IRGC forces and armed groups. The Fatemiyoun Division is a militia force attached to the IRGC Quds Force, made up largely of Shiite fighters of Afghan origin, and is used in Iran's regional security operations. After the US-Israel-Iran war began in February 2026, Tehran said it had tightened security measures in border areas, while human rights organizations alleged that the use of force in the region had increased. State-aligned and opposition sources often describe the same events very differently; as a result, the exact toll of the clashes in Sistan-Baluchestan cannot be independently verified.
