BNA Claims Attack in Iran: Eight Pakistani Laborers Killed

Iran and Pakistan issued a joint statement condemning a terrorist attack in southeastern Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province that killed eight Pakistani laborers. On Saturday, gunmen invaded a repair shop in Mehrestan city, tied up workers, and shot at them. The Balochistan National Army (BNA), which is banned, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Iranian authorities confirmed that all victims were from Pakistan's Punjab province and identified five of them as Dilshad, Muhammad Naeem, Jaffar, Danish, and Nasir. The Iranian embassy in Pakistan condemned the killings as "inhumane and cowardly," and Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam said: “Combating terrorism requires regional cooperation." In a similar vein, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the "brutal act" and called on Tehran to "catch whoever did this and punish them swiftly."

This is the second deadly attack targeting Pakistani nationals in Sistan-Baluchestan in 2024, as nine workers were similarly murdered the previous time, in January 2024, due to tensions along the border. The province that borders Pakistan and Afghanistan has a long history of instability from insurgents and drug trafficking.

In January, reciprocal airstrikes between Pakistan and Iran over militant sanctuaries tested their relations for a brief time. Since then, both have used their diplomatic channels in an effort to back off the tensions, while both have focused on common security.