Nine armed drug traffickers and one Iranian policeman have been killed in a shootout near the border with Afghanistan, a police commander said on Monday, Reuters reported.
Hossein Sajedinia, a regional police commander, said security forces intercepted on Sunday a caravan of smugglers who refused to give themselves up and opened fire on agents, Mehr news agency reported.
"In the course of this exchange of fire nine armed outlaws were killed and one police officer was martyred," Sajedinia said.
Police seized arms and ammunition and 122 kg (268 pounds) of opium, he added.
Iran's eastern border areas are known for frequent clashes between security forces and well-armed drug traffickers. Iran is a key transit route for narcotics smuggled from Afghanistan, which produces more than 90 percent of the world's supply of opium, to the West and elsewhere.