Balochistan: Destruction of Baloch Homes and Land Confiscation by Iranian Authorities Continues

DOZZAAP (ZAHEDAN): Local sources report that the demolition of Baloch-owned homes and the seizure of their lands by Iranian authorities continues in Iranian Occupied Balochistan, with the latest incident occurring in the early hours of Sunday morning in Zahedan.

According to eyewitnesses, municipal forces from Zahedan, accompanied by military and plainclothes officers, raided the construction site of a Baloch citizen’s home in the Keshavarz area without presenting any official warrant or warning.

The forces demolished the wall and partially built structure and reportedly stole the property’s gate and water hose during the operation.

“Around 25 individuals from the municipality, security forces, and plainclothes agents arrived around 4 a.m. and destroyed the entire structure without any prior notification,” said a local source. “They also took the wall’s gate and water hose with them.”

The incident is part of a broader pattern of demolitions and land confiscations targeting Baloch residents. Rights groups and local activists say that the Iranian state forces has been systematically demolishing Baloch homes and confiscating ancestral lands in Zahedan and other areas, such as Chabahar.

These lands are then being reallocated to non-local settlers and individuals affiliated with the state, raising concerns about an intentional effort to alter the region’s demographic makeup.

In recent months, it is reported that over 10,000 plots of land belonging to Baloch citizens in Zahedan County have been confiscated and transferred to employees of government institutions.

Authorities have cited reasons such as “national land protection” and “prevention of land grabbing,” but local residents argue that these are pretexts used to legitimise the appropriation of Baloch property.

Critics warn that the policy reflects a strategy to displace the indigenous Baloch population and replace them with Iranian state-affiliated individuals, leading to growing tensions in an already marginalised and heavily securitized region.

There has been no official response from the Iran’s government regarding Sunday’s demolition or the broader allegations of demographic engineering in Iranian Occupied Balochistan.