The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says armed violence in southeastern Iran killed at least 94 people between March 31 and October 10, citing local and unofficial accounts.
Its review covered 63 incidents, mainly in Sistan and Baluchestan province, with others in neighbouring Kerman. Local accounts recorded 33 wounded, while HRANA’s compilation of official reporting counted 87 deaths and 10 injuries.
However, the agency cautioned against attributing the wider escalation to a single organisation. The People’s Fighters Front, known by its Persian initials JMM, claimed six attacks during the period.
Most attacks remained unclaimed or lacked reliable attribution. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) separately announced an operation near Zahedan on Tuesday.
It said five members of an alleged kidnapping cell and one Guards member died, while forces rescued an abducted engineer. Officials did not identify the armed group involved.
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JMM formed in December 2025 through a merger that included Jaish al-Adl and several smaller factions. Its charter combines demands for Baluch rights with calls for political change across Iran.
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The alliance advocates political, diplomatic and media activity alongside armed operations, which it describes as defensive. Iran and the United States designate Jaish al-Adl as a terrorist organisation.
Meanwhile, Farzin Nadimi, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute, told Iran International that the merger had improved coordination and enabled more destructive tactics.
“We are seeing some more advanced tactics used,” he said. However, Nadimi assessed that the militants still lacked the ability to seize territory.
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Baluch activist and journalist Khalilullah Balochi offered a different explanation for the escalation. He argued that the groups already possessed significant capabilities before merging, and attributed recruitment to deprivation, discrimination and repression.
Political analyst Mehdi Nakhl-Ahmadi cautioned that broader national messaging would not automatically win support. He argued that the front’s expansion depended on building trust and cooperation with other political groups.
