TEHRAN -- Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhussein Mohseni Eje’i on Monday condemned a deadly terrorist attack on a courthouse in the southeastern city of Zahedan, saying the United States is orchestrating the assault through proxy militant groups.
Speaking during a high-level judicial meeting here, Eje’i said, “There is no doubt that the root cause and origin of such crimes and terrorist incidents is arrogant powers, with the criminal U.S. being at the forefront.”
At least six people were martyred and 22 others injured on Saturday when militants affiliated with the so-called Jaish al-Adl terrorist group launched an armed attack on the courthouse in Zahedan, capital of Sistan and Baluchestan province. Iranian security forces killed three assailants in the clashes that followed.
Eje’i expressed condolences to the families of the victims and directed his deputy to take necessary steps to support them. He also said the U.S. is “the primary sponsor of the unspeakable crimes of Zionists in Gaza” and “the mastermind and architect of numerous crimes worldwide.”
Sistan and Baluchestan province, which borders Pakistan, has been the site of repeated terrorist attacks targeting both civilians and Iranian security personnel. Authorities say such attacks are masterminded foreign intelligence services operating through armed groups in the region.
On Sunday, a commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Basij force was martyred in a terrorist attack in Zahedan.
The IRGC Ground Force’s regional Quds Base said in a statement that Javad Karim Koshteh, the commander of the Basij resistance base, was martyred while on duty at Imam Hadi mosque in Shirabad district.
Last October, ten Iranian police officers were martyred in a terrorist assault in the province’s Taftan County. The Jaish al-Adl group also claimed responsibility for that attack.
Eje’i also criticized Western countries for their continued support of Israel amid its ongoing war on Gaza, calling it a “genocidal campaign.” He accused international organizations of “emboldening the Zionist regime” through silence and inaction.
“Eternal and historic shame on the countries that witness the sufferings of people and children in Gaza but continue their commercial and financial transactions with the occupying regime,” he said. “They provide the Zionists with fuel, raw materials, and industrial products, facilitating their crimes.”