Weapons, Drones and Covert Channels: A US Plan to Support Jaish al-Adl Operations Inside Iran
Western diplomatic sources have said advanced arrangements in which, they said, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had been involved. The arrangements reportedly aim to facilitate the delivery of weapons and equipment to Jaish al-Adl through networks and operatives active in countries neighbouring Iran. According to the sources, the objective is to strengthen the group’s ability to conduct operations against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij forces.
The sources said arms and ammunition smuggling routes through the border regions linking Iran with Afghanistan and Pakistan had become increasingly active in recent weeks. This reportedly coincided with contacts between parties linked to US intelligence and representatives of the Iranian Baloch diaspora.
The sources maintained that the new initiatives aim to develop Jaish al-Adl’s military and logistical capabilities in Sistan and Baluchestan province. This would allow its fighters to expand their operations beyond border areas and further into some cities, and to carry out targeted attacks against IRGC and Iranian security service facilities and personnel in the period ahead.
Contacts in European Capitals
A well-informed Western diplomat based in Brussels said US intelligence, which maintains direct and indirect channels of communication with various elements of the Iranian opposition, had recently opened contacts with Iranian Baloch businesspeople and political figures living in European capitals.
The diplomat said discussions began with exchanges of assessments about developments inside Iran before broadening to consider ways to strengthen Jaish al-Adl’s military capabilities and help it increase pressure on the IRGC in the country’s southeast.
The source stressed that the contacts were unofficial, as Washington continues to designate Jaish al-Adl as a terrorist organisation. According to the source’s information, there are currently no indications that the United States intends to remove that designation.
Nevertheless, the diplomat said communication channels established by regional and international actors had conveyed messages to the group’s military leaders about the possibility of upgrading its weapons capabilities. These could include more advanced combat equipment, drones, reconnaissance and surveillance systems, and secure communications equipment.
A Volatile Front in Southeastern Iran
The information comes as attacks and armed clashes intensify in Sistan and Baluchestan province.
Iranian media recently reported that several armed men had been killed in two security operations in the southeastern province. Separately, a female Basij mobilisation force official and a member of the security forces were killed, and three others injured, in two attacks in the city of Mehrestan.
Clashes between Iranian forces and fighters linked to Jaish al-Adl and other Baloch groups are concentrated around Rask, Jalq, Zahedan and Taftan, as well as other border areas.
The fighting has involved light and medium weapons, explosive projectiles and improvised explosive devices. During some operations, Iranian forces have also deployed drones, artillery and armoured vehicles to pursue fighters and secure areas of heightened tension.
A More Complex Phase
Moussa Afshar, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said the escalation of clashes in Sistan and Baluchestan between Iranian forces and armed groups, including Jaish al-Adl, reflected a shift towards a more complex security situation in southeastern Iran.
Afshar said that, in his assessment, the developments were no longer confined to isolated border incidents. Instead, they had become part of broader activity involving armed Baloch groups alongside other forms of opposition in Zahedan, Rask, Iranshahr and Khash.
He added that some of these activities had targeted sites and figures associated with the IRGC, the Basij and the security services, alongside continuing forms of domestic protest and opposition.
