Soldier Shoots Dead 1 Comrade, 3 Police in Southern Iran

At a roadside police station in southern Iran on Sunday, a soldier fatally shot three police officers and another soldier, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.

In the unrest-ridden Sistan and Baluchistan region, close to the town of Bampour, 1,260 kilometres (780 miles) southeast of Tehran, violence broke out.

On Friday, the province in the southeast was rocked by turmoil, which prompted the security forces to respond violently, killing at least 16 people, according to an activist group. It happened during the seventh week of anti-government demonstrations that were started by Mahsa Amini, 22, who passed away while in detention after being arrested for allegedly breaking the nation's severe dress code for women.

According to Tasnim, who cited the local police chief, the soldier opened fire following an argument with another soldier over personal matters. The soldier was taken into custody right away. There were no more specifics.

In Iran, such shootings are uncommon. In 2016, a soldier shot and killed three of his fellow soldiers before taking his own life. In Iran, all males above the age of 19 are required to serve a minimum of 24 months in the military.

Separately on Sunday, Tasnim said that two terrorists attacked a station manned by the highly trained paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in the city of Mahshahr in the province of Khuzestan's southwest, killing a "terrorist." Other information was lacking.

The nation-wide demonstrations that erupted after Amini's passing initially targeted the hijab, or state-mandated headscarf. But they quickly changed into one of the strongest threats to the ruling class since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Chants calling for the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the downfall of clerical rule are heard from protesters.

According to Iran Human Rights, an organisation based in Oslo, security forces, including paramilitary volunteers with the Revolutionary Guard, severely suppressed the protests, murdering over 300 people, including 41 children.