Iranian state TV reports explosion killing 1, wounding 3 in its southeast

PTI, Mar 21, 2021, 4:16 PM IST

Tehran: An explosion on Sunday killed one person and wounded three others in the restive southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan, state TV reported, as details about the incident remained scarce.

The TV report described the explosion that struck a public square in the city of Saravan as a “blind terrorist act” that killed a pedestrian.

It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind the apparent attack.

Sistan and Baluchistan province is a well-worn trafficking route for drugs and petrol and has been the scene of occasional clashes between Iranian government forces and various militant groups. The province, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, is also where a Sunni separatist group affiliated with al-Qaeda and known as Jeish al-Adl, or Army of Justice, operates.

After guards at the Iranian border shot and killed several fuel smugglers last month, unrest gripped the province. Protesters with light arms stormed police stations and government buildings, prompting a government crackdown. The area is one of the least developed and poorest parts of Iran.