ISIS claims attack that kills 15 in Iran's Shiraz as anti-regime protests continue

TEHRAN, Iran-

Iran said it will retaliate after an attack claimed by Islamic State (ISIS) extremist group on a Shia shrine in the city of Shiraz that killed 15 people. Authorities also tried to blame protests against the death of Mahsa Amini for providing a propitious atmosphere for the extremist attack.

The assault will add pressure on the government which has faced relentless demonstrations by people from all layers of society since the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman, on September 16.

President Ebrahim Raisi said Iran would respond, according to state media.

"Experience shows that Iran's enemies, after failing to create a split in the nation's united ranks, take revenge through violence and terror," said Raisi, speaking before Islamic State released its claim of responsibility.

"This crime will definitely not go unanswered, and the security and law enforcement forces will teach a lesson to those who designed and carried out the attack."

Other reactions followed. "We firmly declare: the fire of revenge of the people of Iran will finally catch up with them and punish them for their shameful deeds," Revolutionary Guards Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The country's top diplomat also commented. "We will certainly not allow Iran's national security and interests to be toyed with by terrorists and foreign meddlers who claim to defend human rights," Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said in a statement carried by state media.

"This crime made the sinister intentions of the promoters of terror and violence in Iran completely clear. There is reliable information that the enemies have drawn up a multi-layered project to make Iran insecure."

Iranian officials said they had arrested a gunman who carried out the attack at the Shah Cheragh shrine in the city of Shiraz. State media blamed "takfiri terrorists", a label Tehran uses for hard line Islamic extremists.

ISIS has claimed previous violent attacks in Iran, including deadly twin attacks in 2017 that targeted parliament and the tomb of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Wednesday's killing of Shia pilgrims came on the same day that Iranian security forces clashed with increasingly strident protesters marking the 40-day anniversary since the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman.

The authorities looked for propaganda value in the ISIS attack. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi blamed the protests sweeping Iran for paving the ground for the Shiraz attack.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency said the attacker shot an employee at the shrine entrance before his rifle jammed and he was chased by bystanders.

He managed to fix his weapon and opened fire on his pursuers, before entering a courtyard and shooting worshippers. Several women and children were among the dead, it said.

A witness at Shah Cheragh told state television: "I heard sounds of gunfire after we prayed. We went to a room next to the shrine, this lowlife came and fired a barrage of shots. Then (the bullet) hit my arm and leg, it hit my wife's back, but thank God my child was not hit, he is seven years old."

Continuing demonstrations

The attack in Shiraz took place at the end of a day of confrontations across the country between security forces and protesters, with video footage showing some of the most violent clashes in more than a month of unrest following Amini's death.

The demonstrations have become one of the boldest challenges to the clerical leadership since the 1979 revolution. A wide range of Iranians has come out on to the streets, with some calling for the downfall of the Islamic Republic and the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Security forces opened fire at mourners in Amini's Kurdish home town of Saqez on Wednesday, according to a witness.

"Riot police shot mourners who gathered at the cemetery for Mahsa's memorial ceremony ... dozens have been arrested," the witness said. Iranian authorities were not available to comment.

The semi-official ISNA news agency said about 10,000 people were at the cemetery, adding that the internet was cut off after clashes between security forces and people there.

Videos on social media showed crowds packing streets in many cities and the bazaars of Tehran and some other cities shut down with people chanting "Death to Khamenei".

1500tasvir, a Twitter account focused on Iran protests with 280,000 followers, reported a "brutal crackdown" on protesters in multiple locations in Tehran, including a gathering at the Tehran Medical Association.

An Iranian former pro-reform official said the spread of the protests appeared to have taken authorities by surprise and contrasted with the establishment's assertions that support for the Islamic system is overwhelming.

While some analysts said prospects for the imminent dawn of a new political order are slim, activists said a wall of fear had fallen and the path to a new revolution was not reversible.

Students have played a pivotal role in the protests, with dozens of universities on strike. Hundreds of schoolgirls have joined in, chanting "Freedom, Freedom, Freedom," despite fierce crackdowns by security forces.

State media and hard line officials have branded protesters "hypocrites, monarchists, thugs and seditionists".

Rights groups said at least 250 protesters had been killed, including teenage girls and thousands had been arrested.

The authorities, who have accused the United States and other Western countries of fomenting what they call "riots", have yet to announce a death toll but state media have said around 30 members of the security forces have been killed.

The demonstrations have become one of the boldest challenges to the clerical leadership since the 1979 revolution, drawing many Iranians into the streets, with some calling for the downfall of the Islamic Republic and the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The human rights group Hengaw said two young men were shot dead by police during protests in Sanandaj, capital of Kurdistan province and the northwestern city of Mahabad during demonstrations across Iran on Wednesday. Reuters could not verify the report.

State media said a Revolutionary Guards member and a Bassij militiaman were to be buried on Thursday after being shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Tuesday in Zahedan, capital of the restive Sistan-Baluchistan province which has been a hotbed of protests by Iran's Baluch minority.

The activist news agency HRANA said in a posting that at least 252 protesters had been killed in the unrest, including 36 minors.

It said 30 members of the security forces were killed and more than 13,800 people had been arrested as of Wednesday in protests in 122 cities and towns and some 109 universities.