Third Sunni cleric killed in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan Province: What to know

An Iranian Sunni cleric was killed in the troubled southeast on Monday, state media reported, marking the third killing of a senior Sunni religious official in as many months.

What happened: Molavi Yousef Gorgij was “assassinated” by unknown gunmen outside his home in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan and Baluchistan province, the city’s mayor, Jamshid Rokhshani Nasab, said. The mayor said Gorgij had been “actively working against divisive elements and Zionist mercenaries,” the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. 

Iranian authorities regularly link dissident groups to Israel and the United States, often without evidence. 

The London-based Iran International reported that some local outlets said the attack was attributed to Jaish al-Adl, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility.