Iran is facing a growing internal security challenge as a coalition of Baloch separatist groups and Sunni militants steps up attacks on security forces in the country's volatile southeast.
The escalation opens a new front for Tehran as it grapples with mounting regional pressures and raises questions over the reach of its security apparatus.According to Fox News, the People’s Fighters Front (JMM), a coalition formed in December 2025, has claimed six attacks across Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan and Kerman provinces. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) documented at least 63 armed incidents between March 31 and October 10, resulting in at least 94 deaths and 33 injuries, according to the report.Iran has deployed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to counter the insurgency, with its Ground Forces maintaining a presence in the restive region.The latest attacks underscore the growing threat to Iranian security personnel in a region long plagued by ethnic tensions and armed insurgency.On October 14, attacks reportedly killed female members of the Basij paramilitary force, including a commander, as well as a police officer.
Earlier, a roadside bombing in Zahedan killed a provincial law enforcement official, according to the report.The People’s Fighters Front, known by its Persian acronym JMM, emerged in December 2025, bringing together Baloch nationalist organisations and the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl.The coalition operates in Sistan and Baluchistan, a predominantly Sunni region bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, where longstanding ethnic grievances, economic marginalisation and allegations of discrimination have fuelled unrest against the Iranian government.“The armed groups would not be able to establish control of the south-east, but they can seriously weaken the regime's control.” Mardo Soghom, an Iran expert, told Fox News.Navid Mohebbi, a former Persian media analyst for the US State Department's Public Affairs Bureau, said the insurgents could inflict psychological damage on Iran's security establishment through guerrilla attacks.However, he noted that concerns over separatism and radical Islamism could limit the groups' ability to attract broader public support.He also pointed to the coalition's messaging as a possible factor in winning wider support, saying its stated objective was to dismantle Iran's system of clerical rule rather than explicitly pursue Baloch separatism.Iran has repeatedly accused Washington and Israel of attempting to destabilise the country by exploiting ethnic and regional tensions.The violence also reflects a longstanding challenge for Tehran in Sistan and Baluchistan, where ethnic Baloch communities have faced economic marginalisation and allegations of discrimination. The region's proximity to Pakistan and Afghanistan, coupled with a history of militant activity, complicates Iran's efforts to secure its southeastern border.