Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi links anti-hijab protests to 'terror attack' on shrine

After an attack on the Shiraz shrine of Shias in Saqez of Iran led to the death of 15 people, President Ebrahim Raisi blamed the ongoing anti-hijab protests in the nation for the terror attack, as per a report by RTE news. Addressing the people of Iran through a telivised address, Ebrahim Raisi said that, "The intention of the enemy is to disrupt the country's progress, and then these riots pave the ground for terrorist acts." The terrorist attack on the Shia shrine came at a time when significant number of people accross Iran are marking 40 days since the death of Mahsa Amini, who was killed when she was in the custody of Iranian police. 

Post the attack, Iranian President Raisi vowed to respond to the attack and asserted that it will not go unanswered. “Experience shows that Iran’s enemies, after failing to create a split in the nation’s united ranks, take revenge through violence and terror. This evil will definitely not go unanswered, and the security and law enforcement agencies will teach a lesson to those who designed the attack,” Raisi added, as per Tasnim news agency. Iranian leadership has blamed "outside forces" for the ongoing protests in Iran, claiming that the protests are being carried out to undermine Iran, as per a report by Iran International. The terror act was not carried out by people protesting against the Iranian regime but by Sunni fundementalists, associated with the ISIS, accordinng to reports from CNN. ISIS has officially claimed responsibility for the attack, by releasing a statement through the Amaq news agency. 

Past attacks by Sunnis on Shias in Iran

As the terrorist attacked the Shia shrine, thousands of Iranian citizens were gathering near the burial site of Mahsa Amini. Back in April, Iran witnessed another Sunni terror attack on Shias. A 21 year old Uzbek national stabbed two Shia clerics to death. The Iranian authorities sentenced him to death in June. The Tasnim news agency, quoting sources in Iran's security services, said that "Takfiri and Wahabi elements" are responsible for the attack, which translates into Sunni extremists. Amongst the 15 people killed, 2 were children.