Iran military kills 6 in Zahedan, accuses armed groups of ties with foreign powers

Iranian military on Thursday killed six members of a "terrorist" group in Zahedan, the capital city of the Sistan and Baluchistan province in southeastern Iran.The Sistan-Baluchistan province frequently sees clashes between security forces and armed Sunni-separatist groups and is a major drug trafficking route.The Iranian revolutionary guards had reportedly discovered and confiscated explosive packages from the "terrorists", IRNA news agency reported.However, Tehran did not identify the six people killed and gave no further information on the incident.On Wednesday, an explosion was reportedly heard in Zahedan with no reported damage, Fars news agency reported, citing the city's administrative office.Human rights group Haalvsh, which monitors Sistan-Baluchistan, said fighting between military and security forces and armed individuals had started on Thursday morning.Tehran accuses some armed groups of ties to foreign powers and involvement in cross-border smuggling, Reuters reported.Iran weighs US response to peace proposalThese developments emerged while Tehran considers Washington's reply to its…