When we were in Esfahan, Iran, in November -07, we heard from many of the locals, that it is oh so dangerous near the border with Pakistan, and that they´d never, ever go anywhere near that region.

We did, however, go there, and had absolutely no security-related problems either in Iran, or in Pakistan. Quite the contrary - the people in these two countries are among the most friendly and welcoming we have ever met.

Not meaning to underestimate the threats at all, and no doubt are threats in that region today. If bad luck strikes, you may get in deep trouble. Still the probability of something like this is very small, especially for the normal tourists, who move along the main routes, taken care by the police, and usually get to go through without any problems.

The locals usually only know about the area that they live in, and just like us, are scared of the unknown, that´s why ´the other´ areas easily get a negative reputation.

Just like the travel warnings, if you didnt filter their information anyhow, you would not dare go anywhere. But the final decision, whether or not a region is safe enough to travel at any given time, will be up to you. We skipped East Timor, because our visit would´ve been just after they tried to kill the president&prime minister. Probably would not have gone to Pakistan right after Benazir Bhutto was killed, either, but luckily we were already in India, when that happened.

edit. you plan to go in August? The heat in the Dasht-e Lut and Baluchistani deserts in Iran&Pakistan may be your real threat, as it can really get unbearably hot over there; its one of the hottest areas on the whole planet at that time, with temperatures well over +50C.