"The leader of a terrorist group made up of devious Wahabis... was killed in an ambush along with his number two," the ministry said in a statement carried by the Mehr news agency.

The statement was referring to the strict form of Sunni Islam practised in Saudi Arabia.

It did not say when the ambush happened or name the rebel group but it said the slain men were suspected of murdering a local judicial official and of carrying out several armed robberies.

"This group intended to use the money from the robberies to increase terrorist acts in Sunni-populated towns in the west of the country," the statement said.

Western Iran, home to a significant Kurdish population, has been the scene of deadly clashes for years between security forces and Kurdish rebel groups operating from bases in neighbouring Iraq.

In September, a deadly bombing hit a military parade in the western city of Mahabad, killing 12 people and wounding at least 81.

Mainly Shiite Iran has also faced unrest from Sunni Islamist groups, notably the Jundallah organisation active among the Baluchi minority in the southeast.