A suicide bomber has set off an explosion outside a police station in the Iranian southern port city of Chabahar, killing at least three people and wounding 48, state TV has reported.

"This morning a bomb inside a car exploded near a police station in Chabahar. Three people were killed and some others were injured," Rahmdel Bameri, acting governor of Chabahar told state television, which reported the figure of 48 hurt.

"Police stopped the explosive-laden car and started firing at the driver... who then set off the explosion near the police headquarters in Chabahar," said Bameri.

Mohammad Hadi Marashi, deputy governor for security affairs, told state TV that two police officers were killed in the attack.

An official said that "the terrorist who carried out the attack was killed". He did not elaborate, the Reuters news agency reported.

The Tasnim news agency said there were reports that women and children were among the injured.

Four people were reportedly killed and 4 injured in a terrorist attack on Police headquarters in #Iran's southeastern city of #Chabahar: Acting Governor of #Sistan and #Baluchestan Province pic.twitter.com/sDY3ZUb31f — Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) December 6, 2018

Images posted on Twitter purported to show thick smoke rising from the area. Middle East Eye could not verify the authenticity of the videos.

Chabahar is located in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, which is home to a Sunni minority in the largely Shia country, and has long been plagued by violence from both drug smugglers and separatists.

The SITE Intelligence Group reported that Sunni militant group Ansar al-Furqan had claimed responsibility for the attack.

In June, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had killed the group's suspected leader, Molavi Jalil Qanbar-Zehi, in a mountainous area of Sistan and Baluchestan. A year ago the group claimed responsibilty for a blast at an oil pipeline in Iran’s southern Khuzestan province.

'Such crimes won’t go unpunished'

Suicide bombings are rare in Iran, but Sunni armed groups have carried out several attacks on Iranian security forces in the Sistan and Baluchestan province in recent years.

In October, the separatist Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) group kidnapped 12 Iranian border guards in the remote province, five of whom have since been released.

The Sunni armed group has carried out several attacks on Iranian security forces in Sistan and Baluchestan in the past, including an attack in 2017 that killed 10 border guards

In 2010, two suicide bombers killed at least 28 people, including some of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, at a mosque in southeast Iran; an attack Iranian leaders said was backed by the United States.

The scene at the car bomb site in Chabahar, Iran (STR / Tasnim News / AFP)

That attack was claimed by the Sunni separatist group Jundullah (or Soldiers of God), which has claimed responsibility for bombings in the past.

Tehran accuses its key regional rival Saudi Arabia and the US of funding most of these groups, a charge Riyadh and Washington deny.

Iran says armed groups have safe havens in Pakistan and has warned it will hit their bases there if Islamabad does not confront them.

"Foreign-backed terrorists kill & wound innocents in Chabahar. As we've made clear in the past, such crimes won’t go unpunished," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted.

"In 2010, our security services intercepted & captured extremists en route from UAE. Mark my words: Iran WILL bring terrorists & their masters to justice."

Chabahar is a free trade zone and the site of an Indian-backed port complex which is being developed as part of a new transportation corridor for land-locked Afghanistan.

The Indian foreign ministry strongly condemned the "despicable terrorist attack".

"The perpetrators behind this dastardly attack should be brought to justice expeditiously. There can be no justification for any act of terror,” the ministry said.

India has said it is ready to invest up to $500m in the development of the port that is key to its ambitions to chart a route to landlocked Central Asian countries and Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan.

Washington has granted exceptions to some US sanctions on Iran for the project.</s>A suicide car bomber attacked police headquarters in the south-eastern Iranian port city of Chabahar on Thursday, killing at least two people and wounding 15, state TV reported.

A suicide car bomber attacked police headquarters in the south-eastern Iranian port city of Chabahar on Thursday, killing at least two people and wounding 15, state TV reported.

At least two dead in Iran suicide car bomb attack

No-one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, though a semi-official news agency blamed a Sunni jihadi group for the assault.

State television broke into its regular broadcast to report the attack as such assaults are rare in the Islamic Republic.

Rahmdel Bameri, a provincial official, said a suicide attacker driving a vehicle loaded with explosives drove up to the police headquarters.

He said police officers blocked the vehicle and started firing at the driver, who then detonated his explosives.

State TV also aired footage of smoke rising over the city.

They said two police officers were killed, lowering an initially reported death toll of three without explanation.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency, believed to be close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, blamed the attack on Ansar al-Furqan, a Sunni jihadi group.

Ansar al-Furqan is known to operate in Iran’s south-eastern Sistan and Baluchistan Province, which sees occasional attacks by Baluch separatists and drug traffickers.

A year ago, the group claimed to have blown up an oil pipeline in Iran’s southern Khuzestan province.

Chabahar, near Iran’s border with Pakistan on the Sea of Oman, is home to a new port recently built and is an economic free zone for the country.

The attack comes as Iran’s economy reels in the wake of the US re-imposing sanctions lifted by Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.

While Iran still complies with the accord, President Donald Trump withdrew the US over the deal in part due to Tehran’s ballistic missile programme, its “malign behaviour” in the Middle East and its support of militant groups like Hezbollah.

While rare, Iran has been targeted in recent years by militant attacks.

In September, gunmen disguised as soldiers opened fire on a military parade in Ahvaz, killing at least 24 people and wounding more than 60.

Arab separatists and the Islamic State group both claimed responsibility for the attack.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, blamed Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for the attack, allegations denied by both countries.

A co-ordinated June 2017 Islamic State group attacon parliament and the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 50.</s>TEHRAN: Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused “foreign-backed terrorists” for attacks Thursday in the port city of Chabahar that killed two people and wounded around 40 others.

“Foreign-backed terrorists kill & wound innocents in Chabahar. As we’ve made it clear in the past, such crimes won’t go unpunished,” Zarif tweeted.

“In 2010, our security services intercepted & captures extremists en route from UAE. Mark my words: Iran WILL bring terrorists & their masters to justice” Zarif added in the tweet.

He was referring to the capture, trial and subsequent execution in June 2010 of Abdolmalek Rigi, the leader of the militant group Jundallah who had waged a deadly insurgency in Sistan-Baluchistan.

He was captured while on a flight from Dubai to Kyrgystan after Iranian fighter jets intercepted the airliner and forced it to land in Iran and removed Rigi and a number of his companions.—AFP</s>Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analyses from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.

At least three people died and 24 others were injured in a suicide car bomb attack on the police headquarters in Iran's southeast on Thursday, state media reported, adding that the perpetrator was killed.



Television also reported shooting in the area, located in the region of Sistan-Baluchestan, which is home to a Sunni Muslim minority in the largely Shi'ite country and has long been plagued by violence from both drug smugglers and separatists.





"Three people were killed and some others were injured," Chabahar's acting governor Rahmdel Bameri told state television.An official told TV that "the terrorist who carried out the attack was killed." He did not elaborate.Mohammad Hadi Marashi, deputy governor for security affairs, told state television two police officers had been killed.The state news agency IRNA said some 24 people had been wounded. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.Videos posted on Twitter, purportedly from Chabahar, showed thick smoke rising from the area. Reuters could not verify their authenticity."Police stopped the explosive-laden car and started firing at the driver ... who then set off the explosion near the police headquarters in Chabahar," said Bameri.Suicide bombings are rare in Iran, but Sunni militant groups have carried out several attacks on Iranian security forces in the Sistan-Baluchestan province in recent years.Iran has stepped up security in border areas after gunmen in September opened fire on a military parade in Iran's southwestern city of Ahvaz, killing 25 people, almost half of them members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards corps.An Iranian ethnic Arab separatist Sunni militant group and Islamic State both claimed responsibility for that attack.Last year, in the first deadly assault claimed by Islamic State in Tehran, 18 people were killed at the parliament and mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic.Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice), a Sunni militant group that has carried out several attacks on Iranian security forces, mainly in Sistan-Baluchestan, claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 10 border guards near Pakistan in 2017.In 2010, two suicide bombers killed at least 28 people, including some of the elite Revolutionary Guards, at a Shi'ite mosque in southeast Iran, an attack Iranian leaders said was backed by the United States.The attack was claimed by a Sunni separatist group called Jundullah (Soldiers of God).Tehran accuses its Sunni-led regional rival Saudi Arabia and the United States of funding most of these groups, a charge that Riyadh and Washington deny.Iran also says that militant groups are sheltering across the border in Pakistan and has threatened to attack their bases if Islamabad does not confront them.Chabahar is a free trade zone and the site of an Indian-backed port complex being developed as part of a new transportation corridor for landlocked Afghanistan.

Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>></s>TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A suicide car bomber struck a police headquarters in the Iranian port city of Chabahar on Thursday, killing at least two policemen and wounding 42 people, state TV reported. A little-known Sunni jihadist group claimed responsibility for the attack, which Iran's foreign minister accused of being "foreign-backed."

The bomber drove his vehicle, loaded with explosives, up to the police headquarters, provincial official Rahmdel Bameri told state TV. He said police officers blocked the vehicle and started firing at the driver, who then detonated the explosives.

State TV also aired footage of smoke rising over the city. The television report said two police officers were killed, lowering an earlier death toll of three without explanation.

Mohammad Mehran Aminifar, head of Medical Sciences University in Zahedan, the capital of southeastern Sistan and Baluchistan province, told state TV that 42 people were wounded, including four kids and a pregnant woman. Ten of the wounded were members of the police force, he said.

In a communique, the Sunni jihadist group Ansar al-Furqan claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the Washington-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activity online.

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif condemned the attack and warned "terrorists" that they will be punished. "Iran will bring terrorists and their masters to justice," he said on his Twitter account.

Ansar al-Furqan is known to operate in Sistan and Baluchistan province, which sees occasional attacks by Baluch separatists and drug traffickers. A year ago, the group claimed to have blown up an oil pipeline in Iran's southern Khuzestan province.

Chabahar, near Iran's border with Pakistan on the Sea of Oman, is home to a newly built port and is an economic free zone.

The attack comes as Iran's economy is reeling in the wake of the U.S. re-imposing sanctions lifted under Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. While Iran still complies with the accord, President Donald Trump withdrew America over the deal in May, in part due to Tehran's ballistic missile program, its involvement in regional conflicts and its support of militant groups like the Lebanese Hezbollah.

While rare, Iran has been targeted in recent years by militant attacks.

In September, gunmen disguised as soldiers opened fire on a military parade in Ahvaz, killing at least 24 people and wounding over 60. Arab separatists and the Islamic State group both claimed the assault. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, blamed Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for the attack, allegations denied by both countries.

A coordinated June 2017 Islamic State assault on parliament and the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 50.</s>A suicide car bomber attacked a police headquarters in the southeastern Iranian port city of Chabahar on Thursday, killing at least three people and wounding several others, state TV reported.

State television broke into its regular broadcast to report the attack, as such assaults are rare in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Rahmdel Bameri, a provincial official, told state TV that a suicide attacker driving a vehicle loaded with explosives drove up to the police headquarters. He said police officers blocked the vehicle and started firing at the driver, who then detonated his explosives.

State authorities did not identify who was behind the attack. No militant group immediately took responsibility for the attack.

State TV also aired footage of smoke rising over the city.

Chabahar, near Iran's border with Pakistan on the Sea of Oman, is home to a new port recently built and is an economic free zone for the country.

The attack comes as Iran's economy reels in the wake of the United States re-imposing sanctions lifted by Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. While Iran still complies with the accord, US President Donald Trump withdrew America over the deal in part due to Tehran's ballistic missile programme, its “malign behavior” in the Mideast and its support of militant groups like Hezbollah.

While rare, Iran has been targeted in recent years by militant attacks. In September, gunmen disguised as soldiers opened fire on a military parade in Ahvaz, killing and wounding dozens.

Arab separatists and the militant Islamic State (IS) group both claimed the assault. Another coordinated June 7, 2017 IS group assault on parliament and the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 50.

Later in the day, Pakistan condemned the terrorist attack in Chahbahar and said that concerted efforts were required to uproot terrorism from “spreading anywhere and everywhere”.</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

3 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

At least three people died and 48 others were injured in a suicide car bomb attack on a police headquarters in Iran's southeast on Thursday, state media reported.

DUBAI: At least three people died and 48 others were injured in a suicide car bomb attack on a police headquarters in Iran's southeast on Thursday, state media reported.

Television also reported shooting in the area, located in the region of Sistan-Baluchestan, which is home to a Sunni Muslim minority in the largely Shi'ite country and has long been plagued by violence from both drug smugglers and separatists.

"Three people were killed and some others were injured," Rahmdel Bameri, acting governor of the coastal city of Chabahar told state television, which reported the figure of 48 hurt. Mohammad Hadi Marashi, deputy governor for security affairs, told state TV two police officers were among the dead.

Videos posted on Twitter, purportedly from Chabahar, showed thick smoke rising from the area.

"Police stopped the explosive-laden car and started firing at the driver ... who then set off the explosion near the police headquarters in Chabahar," said Bameri.

The SITE Intelligence Group reported that Sunni jihadist group Ansar al-Furqan had claimed responsibility for the attack.

In June, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had killed the group's suspected leader, Molavi Jalil Qanbar-Zehi, in a mountainous area of Sistan Baluchestan. A year ago the group claimed responsibility for a blast at an oil pipeline in Iran’s southern Khuzestan province.

Suicide bombings are rare in Iran, but Sunni militant groups have carried out several attacks on Iranian security forces in the Sistan-Baluchestan province in recent years.

Iran has stepped up security in border areas after gunmen in September opened fire on a military parade in Iran's southwestern city of Ahvaz, killing 25 people, almost half of them members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards corps.

Last year, in the first deadly assault claimed by Islamic State in Tehran, 18 people were killed at the parliament and mausoleum of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Tehran accuses its Sunni-led regional rival Saudi Arabia and the United States of funding Sunni militants, a charge Riyadh and Washington deny.

"Foreign-backed terrorists kill & wound innocents in Chabahar. As we've made clear in the past, such crimes won’t go unpunished," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted. "Mark my words: Iran WILL bring terrorists & their masters to justice."

Iran also says that militant groups are sheltering across the border in Pakistan and has threatened to attack their bases if Islamabad does not confront them.

Chabahar is a free trade zone and the site of an Indian-backed port complex being developed as part of a new transportation corridor for landlocked Afghanistan.

"The perpetrators behind this dastardly attack should be brought to justice expeditiously. There can be no justification for any act of terror,” the ministry said.

India has said it is ready to invest up to US$500 million in the development of the port that is key to its ambitions to chart a route to landlocked Central Asian countries and Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan. Washington has granted exceptions to some U.S. sanctions on Iran for the project.</s>A car #bomb has exploded near police headquarters in #Iran’s southeastern port city of #Chabahar, killing four and leaving many injured. A suicide bomber was reportedly behind the atrocity. READ MORE: https://on.rt.com/9jwt</s>DUBAI (REUTERS) - At least three people were killed in a bomb attack in southeastern Iran on Thursday (Dec 6), state TV reported, adding that many others were injured.

"This morning a bomb inside a car exploded near a police station in Chabahar and four people were injured," the official said.</s>A general view of the scene of a car bombing in front of a police station in the city of Chabahar, on Thursday, in southern Iran (AFP photo)

DUBA — At least two policemen died and 48 people were injured in a rare suicide car bomb attack by an extremist group on a police headquarters in the port city of Chabahar in southeast Iran on Thursday, state media reported.

While suicide bombings are rare in Iran, Sunni militant groups have carried out several attacks on security forces in recent years in Sistan-Baluchestan province, where Chabahar is located.

The province is home to a Sunni minority in the largely Shiite country, and it has also long been plagued by violence from both drug smugglers and separatists.

State television also reported shooting in the area on Thursday.

“Two policemen were killed in the terrorist attack in Chabahar this morning,” Hadi Marashi, deputy governor for security affairs, told state TV, which reported the figure of 48 hurt.

Video clips posted on Twitter, purportedly from Chabahar, showed thick smoke rising. TV reported that four children, a pregnant woman and 10 policemen were among the wounded.

“Police stopped the explosive-laden car and started firing at the driver... who then set off the explosion near the police headquarters in Chabahar,” Chabahar’s acting governor Rahmdel Bameri told TV.

The Washington-based SITE Intelligence Group and state media reported that Sunni extremist group Ansar Al Furqan had claimed responsibility for the attack.

“Such terrorist acts, which are designed and adopted by enemies to divide the Iranian nation, are doomed to failure and will make us more decisive in our fight against terrorism,” said First Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri, according to TV.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards promised to give a “crushing” response to the attack, state TV reported.

In June, the Revolutionary Guards Corps said it had killed Ansar Al Furqan’s suspected leader, Molavi Jalil Qanbar-Zehi, in a mountainous area of Sistan-Baluchestan.

A year ago the group claimed responsibility for a blast at an oil pipeline in southern Khuzestan province.

Iran has stepped up security in border areas after gunmen in September opened fire on a military parade in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, killing 25 people, almost half of them members of the Revolutionary Guards.

Last year, in the first deadly assault claimed by Daesh in Tehran, 18 people were killed at the parliament and mausoleum of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Tehran accuses its Sunni-led regional rival Saudi Arabia and the United States of funding Sunni militants, a charge Riyadh and Washington deny.

“Foreign-backed terrorists kill & wound innocents in Chabahar. As we’ve made clear in the past, such crimes won’t go unpunished,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif Tweeted. “Mark my words: Iran WILL bring terrorists & their masters to justice.”

Iran says militant groups are sheltering across the border in Pakistan, and it has threatened to attack their bases if Islamabad does not confront them.

Chabahar is a free trade zone and the site of an Indian-backed port complex being developed as part of a new transportation corridor for landlocked Afghanistan.

“The perpetrators behind this dastardly attack should be brought to justice expeditiously. There can be no justification for any act of terror,” the ministry said.

India has said it is ready to invest up to $500 million to develop the port as it seeks to create a route to landlocked Central Asian countries and Afghanistan that bypasses Pakistan.

Washington has granted exceptions to some US sanctions on Iran for the project despite pulling out of a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major world powers and reimposing other sanctions that were lifted under the pact.
A car bomb explodes near a police post in Chabahar, Iran. Two police officers are pronounced dead and around 40 people were wounded in the attack. Islamic militant group Ansar Al-Furqan claims responsibility. Iran accuses the perpetrators of being "foreign-backed terrorists".