Iran links shrine deadly attack to ongoing protests

Iranian top leadership on Thursday tried to link the ongoing nationwide protest across the country to an attack claimed by Islamic State, targeting a famous shrine that killed 15 worshipers, and wounded several others.

On Wednesday evening, a gunman opened fire on worshippers at Shiraz’s Shah Cheragh shrine, in which nearly 50 people, including women and children were also wounded.

Footage released on Thursday showed a man with a Kalashnikov-style assault rifle walking near the shrine and later moving inside and starting firing on the worshipers violently. The man also hunts those hiding behind whatever they could find. Police later captured him alive, and no identification made so far who he is.

But the Islamic State claimed responsibility and said its armed man stormed the shrine and opened fire on visitors.

Iran sees protests as core reason behind this horrific attack

Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi described the ongoing protests as “riots” which he believes is the core reason behind the brutal shooting that took place, but did not provide evidence or any linkage between the two events. “The enemy will always be the enemy. The enemy go to the shrine and open fire on innocent worshippers,” Raisi said.

The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei labeled the shrine attack as “enemies’ plot,” and stressed on maintaining unity at this time more than ever. Khamenei, 83, called on the all Iranian people that it’s their duty to deal with a blow to the warmongering enemy and fail their plots. “I call upon all segments of the society from security officials to judiciary bodies and from activists to the media outlets to stand united against the wave of disregards and disrespects to people’s lives and spoil enemies’ plot,” he added.

Attack on shrine won’t go unanswered

Raisi strongly condemned the attack on the popular Shia shrine, calling it the “evil act” that will not go unanswered, and instructed the security forces to award “regretful response” to the perpetrators of the attack.

Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri and Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami said they are committed to punish the perpetrators and the masterminds of this heinous crime.

Iranian high-ranking military officials warned the “enemies” that such an attack will badly backfire on them, and said that the attack on the shrine was designed by the vicious Western-Hebrew-Arabic triangle. The internal and foreign perpetrators will soon be arrested, according to them, calling barbaric and sinister action in the shrine unforgivable.

Protests and Shrine tragedy

Wednesday’s killing of worshippers inside the shrine came on the same day when Iranian security forces engaged in intensive clashes with strident protestors marking 40 days since Mahsa Amini’s death in custody.

Thousands gathered in Saqqez to mark 40 days since Mahsa Amini’s death.

Amini, 22, was arrested on September 16 in the capital city Tehran by morality police for allegedly not wearing a proper headscarf (hijab). But she died just hours after her arrest.

Iranian leaders apparently saw the shrine attack as the way that could likely draw attention away from the unrest, but nothing such happened, instead on Thursday protesters escalated demonstrations.

Iranian authorities who accused US and other western countries of fomenting for what they described as “riots” have yet to comment on the Thursday’s protests.