TEHRAN — Iranian security forces killed one armed smuggler and captured a second, less than 24 hours after three police officers were martyred in a gunfight in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, the provincial police chief announced Saturday, in an operation that officials said sent a clear message against lawlessness.
Brigadier General Mahmoud Mirfeizi said the confrontation began on Thursday, when officers acting on a judicial warrant moved to arrest two suspects involved in weapons and ammunition trafficking in Shadegan County. The suspects opened fire on the police upon spotting them, triggering an exchange that martyred three officers.
A subsequent intelligence operation located the suspects’ hideout, General Mirfeizi said. During the ensuing raid, one smuggler was killed in the exchange of fire and the second was wounded and taken into custody.
“Law Enforcement Command will deal decisively with any insecurity and violation of the law,” General Mirfeizi said, offering condolences for the loss of the officers.
The gunfight in Shadegan came against a backdrop of a recent uptake in terrorism in Iran’s southern and southwestern regions. The area around Shadegan has been repeatedly hit by U.S. strikes in recent weeks.0
Meanwhile, U.S. attacks on Iranian infrastructure, including airports and strategic bridges in the south, have continued. Local officials have warned that armed groups may be seeking to exploit the chaos, with some operations appearing to mimic recent U.S. tactics by targeting key transport routes and bridges, drawing comparisons to the American strikes on Iranian infrastructure.