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2009 Pishin bombing

UNSOLVED2009Pishin, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence · ongoing investigation — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

On October 18, 2009, a suicide bomber detonated explosives at a meeting in the town of Pishin, in Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan Province. The attack killed at least 43 people and injured approximately 150 others. One additional victim later died of injuries sustained in the attack, bringing the death toll cited in some accounts to 44.

Among those killed were several senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including Noor Ali Shooshtari, deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guard's ground forces; Rajab Ali, the IRGC commander for Sistan-Baluchestan; the commander for the town of Iranshahr; and the commander of the Amir Al-Momenin unit. About ten senior tribal figures were also reported among the dead. The killed Revolutionary Guard leaders were buried two days later in a military funeral attended by thousands of mourners.

In the aftermath, Iranian officials and state media publicly attributed responsibility for the attack to the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel, alleging support for the Jundallah militant group. The United States denied any involvement. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the attack would receive a "swift response," with the Islamic Republic News Agency quoting him as saying "The criminals will soon get the response for their inhuman crimes." The United Nations Security Council condemned the incident.

Iran also raised the matter with Pakistan, summoning Pakistan's chargé d'affaires, as the attack was believed to have originated from Pakistani territory. Iranian officials accused Pakistani agents of involvement and called on Pakistan to apprehend those responsible. An Iranian delegation demanded that Pakistan hand over Jundullah leader Abdolmalek Rigi, after Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik denied that Rigi was present in Pakistan. Pakistan subsequently handed over to Iran a brother of Rigi. Iran's police chief stated that Pakistan bore responsibility for the attack. Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik separately stated that authorities could identify Rigi's location in Afghanistan.

According to the source material, several suspects were later arrested by Iranian authorities in connection with the bombing, though further details of any resulting legal proceedings are not specified in the available sourcing. No named individual is identified in the available sources as formally charged or convicted in relation to this attack.

Key facts

Victims
Rajab Ali, Noor Ali Shooshtari
Date
2009
Location
Pishin, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran
Case status
unsolved

Case timeline

  1. 2009-10-18

    A suicide bomber detonated explosives at a meeting in Pishin, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, killing at least 43 people and injuring about 150.

  2. 2009-10-20

    Killed Revolutionary Guard commanders were buried in a military funeral attended by thousands of mourners.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Rajab Ali

    VICTIM

    IRGC commander for Sistan-Baluchestan, killed in the bombing.

    citation on file

  • Noor Ali Shooshtari

    VICTIM

    Deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guard's ground forces, killed in the bombing.

    citation on file

Places

Common questions

What happened to the victim?
A suicide bomber killed at least 43 people, including senior Revolutionary Guard commanders and tribal figures, at a meeting in Pishin, Iran, on October 18, 2009.
Where did the bombing happen?
Pishin, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: unsolved.

Sources

  1. 2009 Pishin bombingwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — BBC Newsnews · BBC News · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — The Independentnews · The Independent · 2026-07-07