Six Killed in Separate Attacks in Iran

On Tuesday, unidentified gunmen carried out two separate attacks in Iran's Sistan and Baluchistan province, resulting in the deaths of at least six people, including a local chief of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Parviz Kadkhodaei. The first attack occurred in Nikshahar, where Kadkhodaei and two Guard volunteers were killed after attending a school ceremony. The second attack in Khash claimed the lives of two police officers. No group has yet claimed responsibility for these incidents, which follow a troubling trend of violence in the region, including recent assaults that killed four border guards. Sistan and Baluchistan, one of Iran's poorest areas, is marked by ongoing unrest involving ethnic tensions, drug trafficking, and clashes between security forces and militant groups. The predominantly Sunni Muslim population often faces challenges from Iran's Shiite theocracy, contributing to the region's instability.