IRGC Vows Retribution for Assassination of Sunni Cleric in Sistan and Baluchestan

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has condemned the assassination of Sunni cleric Molavi Yousef Gorgij in Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan Province, vowing that those responsible will face retaliation. In a statement issued Wednesday, IRGC chief commander Major General Ahmad Vahidi expressed condolences to Gorgij’s family, as well as Sunni and Shia religious scholars and residents of the province, describing the killing as a terrorist act. Gorgij, the prayer leader of the Mohammad Rasoulallah Mosque in Zahedan, was killed by unidentified gunmen outside his home on Monday night.

Vahidi praised Gorgij’s efforts to promote religious unity, serve the public and strengthen social cohesion, saying his work would remain an example for religious scholars, community leaders and young people. The IRGC also accused the United States and Israel of being behind the assassination, saying the killing reflected what it described as their inability to confront the Iranian people. The corps said Gorgij had worked to strengthen relations among different ethnic and religious communities and counter attempts to create division.

The IRGC described the assassination as a “brutal and cowardly” act and said retaliation was “certain and inevitable.” The killing came days after the assassination of Kurdish cleric Mamosta Mohammad Nozhati in Iran’s northwestern West Azerbaijan Province. No individual or group has claimed responsibility for either killing, while investigations remain underway. Sistan and Baluchestan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has faced longstanding security challenges and is home to a significant Sunni population, with religious figures playing an important role in relations between Sunni and Shia communities.