Nine foreign nationals were killed by unknown gunmen in southeastern Iran near the border with Pakistan, the semi-official Mehr news agency said today, as the two countries tried to improve relations after mutual attacks.

Mehr said no one had taken responsibility for the killings in the unstable Sistan-Baluchestan province.

The Baluch rights group Haalvash said on its website that the dead were Pakistani workers who lived at a car repair shop where they worked. It said three more were injured.

The killings happened as Iranian state media said the Iranian and Pakistani ambassadors had gone back to their posts after being called back when the two countries fired missiles at each other last week, targeting what they said were militants.