Since the very beginning of the Islamic Revolution, acts of terror have frequently occurred in Iran, deeply affecting its people and becoming an inseparable part of the country’s collective experience. Statistics frequently cited in Iran’s political discourse, and reiterated by state officials, indicate that by the early 2010s, more than 17,000 Iranians had fallen victim to terrorist attacks. These victims were targeted by over 30 different terrorist groups, with the majority of these attacks occurring during the tumultuous 1980s. Among the most notorious of these groups are the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), and Takfiri groups such as Jundallah, Jaish ul-Adl, Al-Qaeda and ISIS responsible for the assassination of Iranians from all walks of life. These terrorist acts were carried out through various brutal methods, including indiscriminate shootings, bombings, torture, minelaying, suicide attack and other heinous means.
Since the onset of the Islamic Revolution, the overall frequency and scale of terrorist acts in Iran have shown a general downward trend, which can largely be attributed to various measures taken by the Islamic Republic of Iran, alongside international efforts. Enhanced diplomacy, improved and more effective security measures, and decisive actions by the Iranian government have played a critical role in this reduction. For instance, in recent years, Iran has bombarded the headquarters of separatist terrorist groups in the northwest of the country. Furthermore, agreements signed between Tehran and Baghdad led to the relocation of these groups from border areas, significantly reducing terrorist activity in the region.
However, this downward trend has varied over the decades. The 1980s marked the peak of terrorist activities against the country, but in the 1990s and early 2000s, there was a notable decline in such acts, accompanied by a decrease in the number of terror victims. This reduction can be partly attributed to the government’s foreign policy during that time, which prioritized confidence-building and strengthening relations with Western countries. The administration adopted a cultural discourse and a policy of de-escalation, which played a key role in reducing terrorist activities. However, the early 2000s witnessed the emergence of Jundallah terrorist group in southeastern Iran. This group’s operations significantly increased the scale of terrorist activities during that decade, targeting both military personnel and ordinary citizens in and Sistan and Baluchistan province. By the 2010s, the situation began to change once again, with the dynamics of terrorism in Iran evolving under different circumstances.
As previously mentioned, by the early 2010s, Iran had recorded over 17,000 victims of terrorism. While the scale and frequency of terrorist incidents are no longer comparable to the intense wave of attacks during the 1980s, a crucial question arises: what about the period between the early 2010s and 2024? Over this 14-year span, what terrorist acts have occurred, and do we not need a more thorough examination of this time frame? This interval, often overlooked in discussions of Iran’s history of terrorism, warrants closer scrutiny to ensure that all incidents and victims are accounted for in the broader narrative.
The 2010s were marked by significant regional developments that reshaped the landscape of terrorism and gave rise to the emergence and activity of Takfiri terrorist groups. During this decade, Iran played a pivotal role on the international stage, particularly in Syria and Iraq, where it actively fought against Takfiri and terrorist groups, most notably ISIS. In these battles, Iran dealt significant blows to these groups while also suffering considerable losses, including the deaths of numerous military personnel and advisors. As part of a retaliatory effort, the tragic January 3 suicide attack at the Martyrs’ Cemetery in Kerman by ISIS occurred, claiming the lives of nearly 100 Iranians, injuring several hundred more, and marking one of the deadliest terror attacks in Iran’s contemporary history.
Other notable incidents affecting Iranian citizens in the 2010s include ISIS’s attack on the Iranian Parliament, two separate assaults on the Shah Cheragh Shrine in Shiraz by ISIS, the attack on the military parade in Ahvaz by the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA), the assassination of nuclear scientists by Israeli regime, and numerous terrorist operations in southeastern Iran by Jaish ul-Adl and other takfiri terrorist groups, particularly in Sistan and Baluchistan province and so on.
The 2020s have brought new dimensions to the evolving nature of terrorism in Iran. An analysis of recent reports on terrorist incidents sheds light on these changes. The most recent report, Iran’s 2023-2024 annual report on terrorism, contains several notable findings. First, dozens of terrorist acts attributed to the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) were recorded in cities across the country. These acts primarily involved setting fire to public banners and posters, as well as throwing Molotov cocktails at various locations, including religious sites and administrative buildings. The MEK has publicly claimed responsibility for these actions, providing photographic evidence of each incident on their official websites. In addition, there were two instances of cyber-attacks for which the perpetrators officialy assumed responsibility; one by a hacktivist group called Predatory Sparrow, linked to the Israeli regime on Iranian gas stations, and one by the MEK on the Iranian Parliament’s website and Khaneh Mellat News Agency. While these acts did not result in casualties, they represent an update in the methods employed by terrorist groups, including cyberattacks and acts of sabotage targeting critical infrastructure, highlighting the changing dynamics of terrorism in the modern era.
The second key finding is the shifting geographic distribution of terrorist activities. While recent years have seen a significant decline in such incidents in the western and northwestern regions of the country, southeastern Iran, particularly Sistan and Baluchistan province, has emerged as a new hotspot for terrorist operations. Out of the 50 recorded terrorist attacks nationwide in 2023, nearly half—22 incidents—occurred in Sistan and Baluchistan province, underscoring the shifting focus of these violent acts.
These events have significantly increased the number of victims since the early 2010s, highlighting the need to update the official count of Iran’s terror victims, which currently stands at 17,000. This urgency was underscored in a recent press briefing by the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, who explicitly stated the necessity of revising the country’s list of terror victims. It was also announced that a newly updated list of terror victims would be unveiled in the near future. Habilian, a human rights NGO representing Iranian victims of terrorism and Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will jointly hold the ceremony for unveiling the updated list of terror victims.
Currently, some leaders of terrorist groups have been apprehended and brought to justice in Iran. For example, the leaders of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA), responsible for numerous bombings in Khuzestan province, and the Kingdom Assembly of Iran (Tondar), behind deadly explosions at a large religious gathering in Shiraz, have faced legal proceedings. Similarly, the leader of Jundallah, implicated in armed robbery, bombing operations, and armed attacks on Iranian police and civilians, has also been tried. However, many other groups continue to operate with impunity, particularly in Western countries, including Europe and the United States. Groups like the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) openly maintain offices and plan operations against Iran, shielded by the protection of these nations. While Iran has conducted court sessions to address the MEK’s terrorist activities domestically, these efforts are far from sufficient. Coordinated international action is urgently needed to bring these groups to justice and ensure accountability on a global scale.