A gunman carried out a deadly attack on Sunday night at a prominent shrine in southern Iran, resulting in one fatality and eight individuals sustaining injuries. This incident followed a previous assault on the same site a few months earlier, according to authorities.
The assault occurred in the city of Shiraz at the revered Shah Cheragh shrine, which houses a domed mosque and the tomb of a significant figure from the early days of the Shiite faith. While the motive behind the attack remained unclear, Iran has encountered previous assaults from Sunni extremists belonging to the Islamic State group, who consider Shiites to be heretics. The nation also grapples with ongoing social unrest and economic challenges amid tensions with Western countries.
Ismail Qezelsofla, the deputy governor for security in Fars province, was quoted by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, providing details about the casualty count. Fars province Governor Mohammad Hadi Imanieh revealed that a lone gunman carried out the attack and was subsequently apprehended by security forces. However, he did not offer any insight into the attacker’s motivation.
Footage following the incident showed security forces converging on one entrance of the Shah Cheragh courtyard, which was empty at the time of the attack. As sunset approached, ambulances transported the wounded to safety, while security personnel and government officials arrived at the shrine.
Shah Cheragh ranks among Iran’s top five Shiite shrines, attracting pilgrims to Shiraz, a city situated approximately 675 kilometers (420 miles) south of the capital, Tehran.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the assault. The most recent attack mirrors a prior incident in October 2022, when the same shrine was targeted, leading to the deaths of 13 individuals and injuries to numerous others. The Islamic State group asserted responsibility for that attack. Iranian officials disclosed that the assailant was a Tajikistan national who later succumbed to injuries sustained while in detention.
Iran has actively supported Syria’s embattled leader, Bashar Assad, during the ongoing civil war in that country. The nation also engaged in combat against Islamic State fighters in both Syria and Iraq.
The deadliest attack by Islamic State militants in Iran transpired in June 2017, resulting in at least 18 fatalities and more than 50 injuries in Tehran. During this incident, gunmen stormed the parliament building and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s mausoleum. Ayatollah Khomeini, a key figure in the 1979 Islamic Revolution that ousted the Western-backed shah, served as Iran’s inaugural supreme leader until his demise in 1989.
