TEHRAN – The Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) issued a statement on Sunday promising to take harsh avenge of those who martyred a top IRGC officer and some other innocent ordinary people in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Balouchestan province.

“Like the past, the sons of the glorious Islamic Iran will take avenge of the clean blood of the martyrs of Zahedan in ‘the black Friday’ from the enemies and will not let the cowardly attacks of the armed enemies, hooligans and rioters to go unpunished,” part of the statement said.

Armed hooligans and militants affiliated to terrorist Takfiri groups caused mayhem in Zahedan on Friday by martyring five security forces, including an IRGC general, named Seyed Hamidreza Hashemi.

General Hashemi, who goes by the pseudonym of Seyed Ali Mousavi, was the deputy commander of the IRGC intelligence department in the border province of Sistan-Balouchestan.

According to the Tasnim new agency, during the attack 19 ordinary citizens were also martyred and 20 others injured.

The violence erupted after the Friday prayers in the city unknown gunmen and separatists attacked police station No. 16 near the Makki Mosque and threw stones and incendiaries into the station, Tasnim reported.

“A number of rioters affiliated with terrorist and separatist groups, whose identities are clear” attacked the police station and threw stones and opened fire,” Sistan Baluchestan’s Governor Hossein Modarres Khiabani said, according to Press TV.

In a statement, the terrorist Jaish ul-Adl group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Massive retaliation

Similarly, the intelligence minister and the IRGC chief have warned foreign powers behind the assassination of the ranking IRGC officer of massive retaliation.

In a message released on Sunday, Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib offered his condolences on the martyrdom of General Hashemi and warned the “terrorist groups affiliated with the global arrogance” that they will soon pay the price for their evil acts, fomenting riots and chaos in the country, and assassination of innocent people.

“The guardians of the Islamic Revolution (IRGC) and the other powerful and determined intelligence, security and law enforcement forces will give a decisive response to the divisive acts and crimes committed by the mercenaries,” the minister added, Tasnim reported.

In another message on Saturday, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami paid tribute to General Hashemi and a number of his colleagues martyred in the course of duty to restore calm amid the recent riots.

The commander said that the leaders of the hegemonic system, specifically the rulers of the terrorist-fostering U.S. regime as well as the fake and criminal Zionist regime, have been involved in commanding the separatist terrorists and the remnants of the terrorist group run by the Abdolmalek Rigi group in the recent developments.

The revenge for the blood of the martyrs serving in the IRGC and Basij and the victims of the “black Friday” of Zahedan has been put on the agenda of the IRGC, Major General Salami noted.

On Sunday, ordinary people and military officials attended the funeral processions held for security forces martyred in the terrorist attack in Zahedan.

Brigadier General Mohammad Karami, who commands the IRGC Quds Force Headquarters in southeastern Iran, Deputy Police Chief Brigadier General Qassem Rezaei, Chief of Criminal Investigations Department of the Islamic Republic of Iran Police, Brigadier General Mohammad Qanbari, as well as senior local officials took part in the funeral, Press TV reported.

The participants at the funeral procession demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice.