On the evening of Friday, October 17, 2025, a seven-year-old boy named Zolfaghar Sharifi was shot and killed, and his young sister seriously wounded, when security forces opened fire on their family’s car at a checkpoint near Beyt-e Kavar village in Hoveyzeh County, Khuzestan Province. According to local accounts, the incident occurred around 9:30 p.m., when patrol officers spotted a black Peugeot 405 without license plates. The officers signaled the driver to stop, but when the vehicle continued moving, they pursued it and fired shots to halt it. After the car stopped, they discovered two children in the back seat, both injured by gunfire. The children were taken to the hospital, but the younger boy died from his wounds shortly after arrival.
Five days later, on October 22, the Khuzestan Judiciary announced the arrest of a suspect involved in the shooting and stated that the case had been referred to the prosecutor’s office. State media confirmed that the officer accused of opening fire had been detained and that an investigation was underway. The incident prompted widespread discussion across Iran about the expanding use of force at roadside checkpoints and the potential dangers such measures pose to ordinary citizens.
Since the twelve-day conflict between Iran and Israel in June 2025, the number of armed checkpoints across Iranian cities and highways has increased dramatically. Several deadly shootings have taken place in recent months as a result of officers firing at vehicles that allegedly ignored orders to stop. In one case in Hamadan, two young off-road drivers were killed, and in another in Khomein, four civilians died after shots were fired at passing cars. These repeated tragedies have intensified public concern about how and when officers are authorized to use firearms during routine inspections.
Under Iran’s Law on the Use of Firearms by Armed Forces Officers, enacted in 1994, firing at vehicles is permitted only under strictly defined conditions—such as when reliable evidence suggests that a vehicle is carrying fugitives, stolen property, contraband, or weapons, or when it is being used for a deliberate attack. The law further requires that officers at checkpoints provide clear warnings and employ visible signals such as barriers and rotating lights before resorting to live ammunition. Critics argue that these rules are often ignored in practice and that officers lack proper training and accountability.
Legal experts inside Iran have emphasized that even in periods of heightened security, the regulations governing firearm use cannot be applied as if dealing with foreign combatants. They warn that using military-style tactics against civilians undermines public trust and endangers innocent lives. The case in Hoveyzeh has thus become a focal point in a broader national debate about policing standards, proportionality of force, and respect for the rule of law.
For the family of Zolfaghar Sharifi, the loss has left deep anguish and unanswered questions. They, along with many residents of Khuzestan, demand a transparent investigation and accountability for those responsible. The killing of this seven-year-old child at a checkpoint in Hoveyzeh stands as a somber reminder of the human cost of excessive force and the urgent need to ensure that security measures protect, rather than endanger, the lives of ordinary citizens.