On Monday, Iranian military and security forces reportedly opened fire on a car in Sistan and Baluchestan, resulting in the death of one individual and severe injuries to two young children and a woman who were passengers in the vehicle.
The Baluch human rights group Haalvash reported that Iranian forces, positioned at an intersection in the center of Saravan city in several Toyota Hilux vehicles, simultaneously opened direct fire on the Peugeot Pars car from multiple directions as it passed through the area.
The Toyota Hilux vehicles reportedly used in the attack are commonly used by the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), and have also been popular with jihadist groups and ISIS.
"Among the five passengers in the car, a young man approximately 28 years old, suffered severe gunshot wounds. After he and others exited the vehicle, the security forces fired again, fatally shooting the man and critically wounding a 5-year-old child. A 3-year-old child and a woman were also struck by gunfire. A middle-aged man in the front passenger seat was the only one unharmed," reported Haalvash.
After the attack, military personnel reportedly swiftly removed both the injured and deceased individuals from the scene along with their vehicle, transporting them to an undisclosed location.
It’s unclear why the attack happened, with no official explanation provided at the time of this report.
The latest incident contributes to an ongoing pattern of reported violence perpetrated by Iran's security forces.
In March, 21-year-old Negar Karimian was killed by security forces who fired at her family's car in the province of Lorestan. Authorities later stated it was a case of "mistaken identity," as they suspected the vehicle of carrying narcotics.
Last June, 9-year-old Morteza Delf-Zargani was fatally shot when officers indiscriminately fired at his family’s car, in the province of Khuzestan. The child’s father said security forces shot at the vehicle without even a single warning and based on a false report of car theft.
Similarly, in January 2023, a 20-year-old student named Anahita Amirpour died due to gunfire on the car she was traveling in, coming from plainclothes forces in Lorestan province.
According to the human rights organization HRANA, in 2023, there were 402 reported victims of military force shootings in Iran, resulting in 120 fatalities.
