Iran-Pakistan tensions simmer after strikes, IRGC officer killed in southeast

Iran is seeking to contain the damage to its relationship with Pakistan following a deadly Iranian military strike in Pakistani territory targeting a dissident group.
Pakistani and Iranian flags flutter on the closed Pakistan-Iran border in Taftan on February 25, 2020 as fears over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus escalate following an outbreak in neighbouring Iran. - The Iranian outbreak where at least 15 people have already died -- the highest death toll in any country outside of China -- has aggravated already frayed nerves in neighbouring Afghanistan and Pakistan. (Photo by Banaras KHAN / AFP) (Photo by BANARAS KHAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Pakistani and Iranian flags flutter on the closed Pakistan-Iran border in Taftan on February 25, 2020. - BANARAS KHAN/AFP via Getty Images
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An Iranian officer was killed close to the Pakistani border on Wednesday as the crisis between the two neighbors continues.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Col. Hossein-Ali Javdanfar was shot dead by unspecified “terrorists” in the Sistan and Baluchestan province in southeast Iran while en route to the city of Zahedan. Javandafar was a cultural affairs expert for the IRGC, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency.

Iran International reported that Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for the attack. Al-Monitor was unable to immediately verify the claim.

Also on Wednesday, the IRGC’s Quds Force said a “terrorist” was killed during clashes with its forces in Sistan and Baluchestan, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency..

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