At least 15 people were killed in an attack in the Iranian city of Shiraz yesterday, according to the media. In Shiraz, three attackers from a car opened fire on pilgrims and workers at the shrine of Shah Cheragh, a brother of the eighth Imam Resa, the state news agency IRNA reported.
IS admits to attack
The jihadist militia Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack in its own propaganda channel. An IS member shot at visitors to the mausoleum, killing “at least 20 Shiites and injuring dozens more,” it said.
A man with “connections to ‘Takfiri’ groups” had been arrested, Iranian state television said. The term “takfiri” is used by the Iranian authorities to refer to Sunni jihadists. According to the governor responsible for Shiraz, Mohammad-Hadi Imanieh, the attacker “shot blindly at the believers”.
According to Iranian state television, security forces injured the attacker, who is currently being operated on in a hospital.
President Raisi: “Enemies of Iran”
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a statement accused the “enemies of Iran” of trying to use force to “divide the united nation”. Raisi promised a firm response from the security forces.
The majority of Muslims in Iran belong to the Shia faith. According to the semi-state news agency Tasnim, women and children are among the fatalities. In addition, there are said to have been ten injured.
Reports of shots being fired at demonstrators
In addition, an eyewitness reported yesterday that security forces shot at mourners at the tomb of Mahsa Amini in Saghes. The death of the 22-year-old in police custody triggered the wave of protests against the government in Tehran that has been going on for weeks. People had gathered at Amini’s grave to commemorate the 22-year-old. The semi-state news agency INSA reported that around 10,000 people took part on the last day of the mourning period. In Iran, a family member is traditionally mourned for 40 days.
Videos on social networks showed thousands of people in Saghes going to the cemetery despite a large-scale police operation. INSA reported that there had been clashes with the police on the outskirts of the city. The Internet, the most important communication medium for government critics, was switched off in Saghes for security reasons. According to other eyewitnesses, the mourners at Amini’s grave said, among other things, “Ms. Life. Freedom” chanted, the rallying cry of the protest movement.
US imposes new sanctions
Meanwhile, the US imposed new sanctions on the Iranian leadership. As the US Treasury Department announced yesterday in Washington, the new US sanctions are aimed at the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and his deputy, high-ranking officials such as the director 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 crackdown on protests and killings, including of children. As a result of the sanctions, any assets of those affected in the USA will be frozen. Doing business with them is prohibited for US citizens.