Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan says the Islamic Republic reserves the right to give a crushing response to the recent terrorist crime against Iranian border guards serving on the country’s southeastern frontier.

“While we reserve the right to give a firm response to such acts of terror, we call on Pakistani officials to arrest and punish the perpetrators of this crime at the earliest,” Dehqan said on Friday.

He added that Iran would follow up on the case through the Pakistani government.

On Wednesday, 11 Iranian border guards were killed and three others injured in clashes near the town of Mirjaveh in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-and-Baluchestan. The Pakistan-based Jaish ul-Adl terror group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.

Brutal terrorist attacks will not go unanswered: Police chief

Iran’s Police Chief Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari also said on Friday that terrorist attacks against the country would not go unanswered.

“Enemies of the great Iranian nation must know that such terrorist and brutal measures will not remain unanswered,” Ashtari added.

He emphasized that such desperate moves would never be able to affect the faithful Iranian nation and the country's border guards would continue with their efforts to protect the Islamic Republic and would never allow ill-wishers to infiltrate into the country.

Funeral ceremony for killed border guards

Thousands of Iranians have held a funeral ceremony for the border guards who lost their lives in the terrorist attack near the border with Pakistan.

A funeral procession is held in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad on April 28, 2017 for the border guards killed in a terrorist attack near the border with Pakistan. (Photo by IRNA)

The funeral took place in the northeastern city of Mashhad, where mourners condemned the terrorist act. They also called for a response to the perpetrators.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday wrote to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

“Pakistan’s safety, growth and efflorescence has always topped Iran’s agenda of ties with the friendly and neighboring country…Iran’s soil has never been abused against any of its neighbors, including Pakistan,” he wrote.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry also summoned Pakistani Ambassador to Tehran Asif Durrani to communicate Tehran’s strong protest over the recent massacre of the Iranian border guards by Pakistan-based terrorists.