Two judges were fatally shot on Saturday at the Supreme Court building in Tehran, Iranian state media reported.
According to the judiciary’s Mizan Online website, the attack was a premeditated assassination targeting judges Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghisseh, both known for handling cases involving national security, espionage, and terrorism.
The gunman reportedly “killed himself” after carrying out the attack, which also left one other person wounded. Authorities are investigating and have summoned or detained individuals linked to the incident.
Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir confirmed that the gunman entered the judges’ room with a handgun. The motive remains unclear, but Mizan noted the attacker was not involved in any Supreme Court cases.
President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the killings, urging swift action from security forces to identify those responsible.
Judge Moghisseh, 68, was sanctioned by the US in 2019 for overseeing trials marked by unsubstantiated charges and ignored evidence. Razini, 71, previously survived a 1998 assassination attempt involving a magnetic bomb.
While attacks on judges are rare in Iran, high-profile shootings have occurred, including the April 2023 murder of a prominent cleric and the 2005 assassination of judge Hassan Moghaddas in Tehran.