Iran’s two Supreme Court judges shot dead in Tehran

TEHRAN: Two Supreme Court judges were killed in a shooting attack on Saturday outside the court building in Tehran, state media reported.

“Three judges of the Supreme Court were targeted. Two of them were martyred and one was injured,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported, adding that the “assailant killed himself”.

State news agency IRNA also reported that one other person was injured in the attack.

Mizan identified the two slain judges as Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghisseh, adding that they worked on cases “fighting crimes against national security, espionage, and terrorism”.

Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said on state television later on Saturday that “a person armed with a handgun entered the room” of the two judges and shot them.

The motive behind their killing was not immediately clear, but Mizan said the assailant was not involved in any cases before the Supreme Court, without providing further details on the attacker’s identity.

Authorities said an investigation into the incident was launched, Mizan added.

Veteran judge Moghisseh, 68, was sanctioned in 2019 by the United States for having “overseen countless unfair trails, during which charges went unsubstantiated and evidence was disregarded”, according to the US Department of the Treasury.

Razini, 71, held several important positions in Iran’s judiciary and was previously targeted in a 1998 assassination attempt by assailants “who planted a magnetic bomb in his vehicle”, according to Mizan.

Though attacks targeting judges are rare, Iran has seen a number of shootings targeting high-profile figures over the past years.

In October, a Shiite Muslim preacher was shot dead in the southern city of Kazeroun after leading Friday prayers.

In April 2023, a powerful cleric identified as Abbas Ali Soleimani was also shot dead at a bank in the northern province of Mazandaran.

And in August 2005, renowned Iranian judge Hassan Moghaddas was murdered by two gunmen who climbed into his car in the middle of a busy business district in Tehran.

Two men convicted over his killing were publicly executed by hanging two years later.