Jundallah Named A Terrorist Group

The United States has designated the Sunni militant group Jundallah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The group is responsible for a series of terrorist acts against Iranian government officials and civilians. It operates primarily in Iran's Sistan-va-Baluchistan province, where Iran's Baluch minority has been the target of political and economic discrimination by the government.

Since its inception in 2003, Jundallah has conducted high profile attacks using a variety of methods, including suicide and car bombings, ambushes, kidnappings, executions, and targeted assassinations. In addition to Iranian officials, Jundallah has wounded or killed hundreds of civilians, including religious and tribal leaders.

In one of its most recent operations in July 2010, Jundallah attacked the Grand Mosque in Zahedan, where approximately 30 people were killed and hundreds more were injured. The United States condemned the assault in the strongest possible terms. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for the perpetrators of the horrific attack to be held accountable for their actions.

Said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley:

"We designated Jundallah for a simple reason: it met the criteria under U.S. law to be designated as a foreign terrorist organization. It has engaged in terrorism. It does represent a threat to the United States and to our interests in an important region of the world."

The designation freezes any assets Jundallah may have in the U.S., and prohibits the provision of material support to the group. The United States has encouraged other governments to take comparable action. The U.S. will continue to work with the international community to curtail support for all terrorist groups to prevent violence against innocent civilians.