Iranian forces reportedly kill militants in clash in southeastern Iran,

Iranian officials and local media said security forces launched an operation on Saturday following reports of heavy fighting in a raid on a suspected militant hideout in the southeastern city of Saravan, in which at least three Iranian soldiers were killed in clashes with militants.

Ali Khalilabadi, the deputy security and law enforcement governor of Sistan and Baluchestan province, said security forces have located and hit a gathering point of an armed group in Saravan. The operation was still underway and more details would be released after it was over, he said.

Multiple reports claimed to have heard fighting and explosions in Saravan beginning early on Saturday. Iranian media said the target was a hideout for militants and that security forces launched the operation after gathering intelligence on the group.

Several militants were also killed in the fighting, reports say but an exact number was not immediately available.

Iranian authorities routinely label armed opposition groups active in Sistan and Baluchestan as terrorist organisations. The province, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long been the scene of attacks and clashes between Iranian security forces and Baluchestan militant groups.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the fighting.