IRGC operational commander killed in clash with armed group in southeastern Iran

The Quds Regional Headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Ground Force announced that Brigadier General Hossein Zarifi, commander of the Shahid Sajjad Operational Headquarters in Saravan, was killed during an operation against armed militants in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province.

According to the official statement released by the headquarters’ public relations office, Zarifi died on the front line while confronting what Iranian authorities described as “terrorists in the service of the enemy.” The statement framed his death as occurring in defense of the country’s borders and the security of the local population.

The announcement emphasized that IRGC commanders lead from the front rather than from the rear, citing Zarifi as an example of this approach. It noted that his funeral will be held on Friday in the city of Saravan.

The statement offered condolences to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Zarifi’s family, his comrades, and the people of Sistan and Baluchestan, while declaring that the path opened by those killed in such operations would continue.

The report follows earlier IRGC claims of destroying a militant team in the same Saravan area. Independent details about the specific circumstances of the clash or the identity of the armed group involved have not been independently confirmed in the available announcement.