Two Iranian Supreme Court judges shot dead in Tehran

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Two senior Iranian Supreme Court judges were shot dead in Tehran on Saturday, Iran's judiciary confirmed.

The attack occurred inside the Supreme Court, where the assailant opened fire before taking his own life.

A bodyguard of one of the judges was also wounded in the assault.

The judiciary identified the victims as Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini, both mid-ranking Shiite Muslim clerics.

These judges had been heavily involved in handling sensitive national security cases, including those related to espionage and terrorism.

While the motive behind the killings remains unclear, judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir suggested the murders could be linked to the judges' work.

He noted that both had long been engaged in efforts to address espionage and terrorism, leading to tensions with external adversaries.

"In the past year, the judiciary has undertaken extensive efforts to identify spies and terrorist groups, which has sparked anger and resentment among the enemies," Jahangir said on state television.

Reports from state TV indicated that the cases the judges worked on were related to individuals linked to Israel and the Iranian opposition supported by the United States, although further details were not provided.

Opposition websites have previously claimed that Moghiseh was involved in the prosecution of political prisoners, a point not confirmed by official sources.

Razini was a target of an assassination attempt in 1998.