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TEHRAN, Iran | Xinhua | Two policemen were killed early Saturday in an attack by armed assailants targeting a vehicle carrying a ballot box in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, following the first round of Iran’s 14th presidential election, the official news agency IRNA reported.
The attack, which took place in Jakigur village, Rask County, was intended to seize the ballot box in the rural area, according to a statement from the Sistan and Baluchestan Police Department cited by IRNA.
The statement said the gunmen fired on the vehicle from multiple directions, injuring five passengers, including law enforcement officers and election officials. However, the ballot box remained secure due to “the bravery of the police forces.”
Two of the injured policemen, identified as Farhad Jalil and Ebrahim Marmazi, later succumbed to their wounds after being transferred to a hospital.
The first round of Iran’s 14th presidential election was held on Friday, a vote that had originally been scheduled for 2025 but was rescheduled following the unexpected death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19.
With no candidate winning more than 50 percent of the votes, the presidential election will see a run-off on July 5, pitting Masoud Pezeshkian against Saeed Jalili.
Sistan and Baluchestan province, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has seen a series of terrorist attacks targeting civilians and security forces in recent years. ■
