Assassination of Two Senior Iranian Judges in Tehran

On Saturday, two senior Iranian judges were shot and killed inside Tehran's Supreme Court in a brazen attack. The Iranian judiciary confirmed the deaths, identifying the judges as Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini, both mid-ranking Shi'ite Muslim clerics involved in high-profile espionage and terrorism cases. Following the attack, the assailant reportedly took his own life, and a bodyguard of one of the judges was wounded.

While the motive behind the assassination remains unclear, judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir indicated that both judges had worked on numerous sensitive national security cases involving espionage and terrorism. Jahangir stated that the judiciary had been actively investigating spies and terrorist groups over the past year, which may have provoked resentment from external enemies.

Iranian state TV suggested that the cases handled by Moghiseh and Razini were linked to individuals with ties to Israel and Iranian opposition groups supported by the United States, though it did not provide further details.

The assassination of these prominent figures is likely to escalate tensions within Iran, particularly regarding its handling of foreign-backed opposition movements and its complex relations with Israel and the West.