A deadly assault at a courthouse in southeastern Iran left nine people dead and over a dozen injured on Saturday.
The incident took place in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province, near the borders of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
According to local media, gunmen disguised as visitors tried to enter the courthouse and launched a surprise attack using grenades and firearms.
The attack resulted in the deaths of at least six civilians, including a mother and her child.
Three of the attackers were also killed in clashes with security forces. Several others, including judiciary staff and security personnel, were wounded.
Security officials confirmed that the attackers attempted to breach the courthouse and opened fire after throwing a grenade inside.
The area was quickly sealed off by Iranian forces. State media described the incident as a terrorist attack.
The Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for the assault through its Telegram channel.
The group, which mainly consists of ethnic Baloch members, has been involved in repeated violence against Iranian security personnel since its formation in 2012.
They say they are fighting for the rights and autonomy of Iran’s Baloch population.
Sistan-Baluchistan is one of Iran’s poorest regions and home to the Baloch minority, who are mostly Sunni Muslims.
The province often experiences unrest due to tensions between local militants and the predominantly Shiite central government.
Armed groups operating in the region have previously launched attacks targeting military and intelligence sites.
This latest incident follows previous coordinated attacks by Jaish al-Adl earlier this year in other cities across the province, in which dozens were killed, including members of the elite Revolutionary Guards.
Iranian officials continue to accuse the group of having foreign links and being involved in cross-border smuggling.