An improvised explosive device has gone off in the Iranian city of Zahedan, in the southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province, but a second explosive device apparently intended to cause massive casualties has been diffused by security forces.

Iran Press/Iran news: The explosive device, revealed to be a homemade sound bomb, went off at around 2:30 am local time and prompted authorities to evacuate the area, according to a statement issued by Iranian police on Saturday.

Bomb disposal units present at the site identified a second bomb shortly after the initial explosion, diffusing the device after cutting a remote control link meant to activate the explosion, Press TV reported.

No person or group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The terrorist attack left no casualties but shattered windows of several shops in the vicinity.

Speaking later on Saturday, Sistan and Baluchistan provincial police chief Brigadier General Mohammad Qanbari said the second bomb, placed in a residential area, was made of a pressure-cooker pot filled with TNT and metal shrapnel. 

Had the second explosion occurred, the attack could have led to many casualties, according to Qanbari.  

The brigadier-general added that the police had obtained a number of clues indicating the perpetrators' identity and that they would be soon detained.

Qanbari also said that these type of operations, designed to target civilians, seek to project a negative image of the province. "Therefore we expect people, especially the elders and tribal leaders of the province, to take a stance against such provocations," he added.

Qanbari went on to say that two individuals had been detained in connection with the attack. 

A similar acoustic bomb explosion injured two police officers responding to a set-up distress call last month.

The Sistan and Baluchestan province – which borders Pakistan -- has witnessed several terror attacks targeting both civilians and security forces in recent years. 101/211/213

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