"This evening, one of our conscripts, who was guarding a unit in one of the military positions of the army, entered the soldiers' resting area and started shooting at his comrades," an army officer was quoted as saying by official news agency IRNA.

The commander said that the motive for the shooting "is still unknown", according to IRNA.

"The assailant immediately ran away from the barracks and efforts are underway to arrest him," it added.

"Unfortunately, as a result of this shooting, five of this conscript's comrades lost their lives," the report said.

The rare incident in the southern province of Kerman comes amid heightened security concerns following a deadly bombing attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

On January 3, suicide bombers struck crowds gathered in the city of Kerman near the tomb of storied Revolutionary Guards general Qasem Soleimani, killing 94 people.