IS claims responsibility for the attack that killed 15 people. US imposes new sanctions on Tehran.
At least 15 people were killed in an attack in the Iranian city of Shiraz, according to media. In Shiras, three assailants from a car opened fire on pilgrims and workers at the shrine of Shah Cheragh, brother of the eighth Imam Reza, state news agency IRNA reported. The Islamic State (IS) jihadist militia claimed responsibility for the attack on its own propaganda channel.
An IS member shot at visitors to the mausoleum, killing “at least 20 Shias and wounding dozens of others”, the newspaper said.
A man with “connections to ‘Takfiri’ groups” was arrested, Iranian state television said. The term “takfiri” is used by Iranian authorities to denote Sunni jihadists. According to the governor of Shira, Mohammad-Hadi Imanieh, the attacker “shot blindly at the believers”.
According to Iranian state television, security forces wounded the attacker, who is currently undergoing surgery in a hospital.
“Iran’s Enemies”
In a statement, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi accused “Iran’s enemies” of trying to use force to “divide the united nation”. Raisi promised a firm response from security forces.
The majority of Muslims in Iran belong to the Shia faith. According to the semi-state news agency Tasnim, women and children were among the dead. In addition, there are ten injured.
An eyewitness also reported on Wednesday that security forces shot at mourners at Mahsa Amini’s grave in Sakes. The death of the 22-year-old in police custody has set off a wave of anti-government protests in Tehran that has lasted for weeks. People gathered at Amini’s grave to commemorate the 22-year-old. The semi-state news agency INSA reported that around 10,000 people participated on the last day of the mourning period. In Iran, a family member is traditionally mourned for 40 days.
Videos on social media showed thousands of people on sake walking to the cemetery despite a large-scale police operation. INSA reported that there were clashes with the police on the outskirts of the city. The Internet, the most important means of communication for government critics, has been disabled in Sakes for security reasons. According to other eyewitnesses, the mourners at Amini’s grave chanted, among other things, “Woman. Life. Freedom,” the rallying cry of the protest movement.
New sanctions against Iran
Meanwhile, the US has imposed new sanctions on the Iranian leadership. As the US Treasury Department announced in Washington on Wednesday, the new US sanctions target the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and his high-ranking deputy officials, such as the warden of the notorious Ewin prison in the capital Tehran and members of the secret service.
The US accuses them of overseeing organizations involved in the violent repression of protests and killings, including of children. As a result of the sanctions, any US assets of those affected will be frozen. Doing business with them is prohibited for US citizens.
(APA/DPA)