TEHRAN, Aug 17, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Iranian security forces on Sunday killed 
seven members of a jihadist group in the southeastern province of Sistan-
Baluchistan, state media reported.

Deputy provincial governor Ali Velayatipour said the gunmen, all members of 
the Ansar al-Furqan group, were killed in the early hours of Sunday, 
according to official news agency IRNA.

The militants "intended to attack sensitive centres and military and law 
enforcement bases", Velayatipour said.

Iran has designated Ansar al-Furqan a "terrorist" organisation. Last year, 
the group claimed a suicide attack that killed a police officer, also in 
Sistan-Baluchistan.

The province which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan is one of Iran's poorest, 
and a frequent scene of clashes between security forces and Baluch minority 
rebels.

It is is home to a large ethnic Baluch population, most of whom are Sunni 
Muslims, in contrast to Iran's Shiite majority.

On Saturday, gunmen killed a police officer in a shootout in the province, 
with the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) claiming 
responsibility.

The group, based across the border in Pakistan, has claimed multiple attacks 
in recent years, including an assault on a courthouse last month that left at 
least six people dead.