"During clashes in Malekshahi, Latif Karimi, a member of the IRGC, was killed while defending the country's security," Mehr said, after earlier reporting a member of the Basij paramilitary force was also killed in western Iran.

Malekshahi is a county of about 20,000 residents with a large Kurdish population, where "rioters attempted to enter a police station", according to separate news agency Fars.