Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief has warned Pakistan to crack down on armed group Jaish al-Adl following a suicide attack in the border province of Sistan-Baluchestan that killed 27 members of the elite security force.

IRGC Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Ali Jafari said on Saturday that Islamabad should go after the armed group right away before Tehran takes its “revenge”.

“If Pakistan fails to punish them in the near future, Iran will do so based on international law and will retaliate against the terrorists,” Jafari was quoted by the Iranian media as saying.

His statement was in a different tone to an earlier reaction where he called on the “brotherly state of Pakistan” to tighten security along its border with Iran.

The comment comes as Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman heads to Pakistan to hold talks with Prime Minister Imran Khan and top Pakistani officials.

Jafari said Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are “conspiring” with the United States and the “Zionist regime” to foment attacks, such as Wednesday’s suicide bombing, which also left at least 13 Revolutionary Guard members injured.

“The patience that we have practised in the past towards Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who commit these actions, will change,” Jafari added.

Reza Khaasteh, a Tehran-based journalist, said Jafari’s latest statement, particularly on Pakistan, is “very harsh” as it “directly blames Islamabad” for the attack.

Mohammad Farahani, the editor-in-chief of Mizan Online, however, pointed out that the statement was more of a warning than an accusation.

“He doesn’t mean Pakistan is supporting the terrorists. He has warned them to be more serious about the situation, because these terrorists are using Pakistan as a shelter. Pakistan officials must do much more to secure the border,” Farahani told Al Jazeera.

On Friday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told reporters that unless Pakistan did more to crack down on Jaish al-Adl, Iran will take action it “deems appropriate”.

Iran shares an almost 1,000km border with Pakistan. In the past, Tehran has been careful in addressing security issues, including deadly cross-border attacks and abductions.

“It’s not yet clear whether Iran’s response to the Wednesday attack would be an extraterritorial operation,” said Khaasteh, pointing to the recent deals between the Rouhani government and Imran Khan’s administration.

Last November, Abdelreza Rahmani-Fazli, Iran’s interior minister, had hinted that Iranian forces could launch operations against “terrorists” in Pakistani territory in case Islamabad “fails to do its part”.