Judges in Iran Supreme Court Assassinated Amid Ongoing Tensions

In a shocking act of violence, two prominent judges in Iran's supreme court have been killed by an armed assailant who later took his own life, sparking a wave of concern regarding the motivations behind this attack.

State media reports indicate that Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh were shot dead on Saturday morning in the capital, Tehran, when an armed individual entered the courthouse. The judiciary's news site, Mizan, confirmed that the attacker, after committing the murders, died by suicide while trying to escape the scene. A bodyguard on-site was injured during the incident.

While the motive remains unclear, both judges have a controversial history, having been involved in the supposed oppression and executions of political adversaries during the 1980s and 1990s under the Islamic regime. The judiciary's official channel described the act as a planned assassination and announced an investigation to uncover any potential accomplices of the shooter.

Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir revealed that the shooter entered the courthouse armed with a handgun, raising questions about security protocols in such sensitive locations. Razini had previously survived an assassination attempt in 1998, while Moghiseh has faced international sanctions from both the U.S. and Canada for his role in alleged human rights abuses, notably during his tenure as a judge in the Tehran Revolutionary Court. Moghiseh joined the supreme court in 2020, further complicating the narrative surrounding his murder.