Iran Arrests 26 Foreigners over Deadly Shiraz Attack

Iranians march during a protest condemning the Shiraz attack and unrest in Tehran (Reuters)
Iranians march during a protest condemning the Shiraz attack and unrest in Tehran (Reuters)
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Iran Arrests 26 Foreigners over Deadly Shiraz Attack

Iranians march during a protest condemning the Shiraz attack and unrest in Tehran (Reuters)
Iranians march during a protest condemning the Shiraz attack and unrest in Tehran (Reuters)

Iran has arrested 26 foreign nationals over their alleged involvement in a deadly attack claimed by ISIS on a shrine, the intelligence ministry said Monday.

At least 13 people were killed on October 26 in an armed attack on the Shah Cheragh mausoleum in Shiraz, according to an official toll.

"The intelligence ministry has identified and arrested all agents involved in the terrorist operation in Shiraz," said a statement published on the ministry's website.

According to the statement, the 26 are from Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

They were arrested in the provinces of Fars, Tehran, Alborz, Kerman, Qom and Razavi Khorasan, as well as along Iran's "eastern border", AFP quoted the ministry as saying.

The perpetrator of the attack in Shiraz, identified by the intelligence ministry as Sobhan Komrouni, died of wounds sustained while he was being arrested.

The ministry said he was "a Tajik national" known as Abu Aisha.

It added that the main coordinator of attacks in Iran, an Azeri national, was also arrested, having entered the country through Tehran's international airport from Baku.

He had been in contact with an ISIS network abroad after arriving in Tehran, it added.

On October 31, the ministry announced that several others had been arrested, including an "operational support element" identified Monday as Mohammed Ramez Rashidi, an Afghan national.



Kremlin Says Putin Sent Trump a Message on Ukraine Ceasefire Idea, Talks of 'Cautious Optimism'

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a joint news conference with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko following their talks at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a joint news conference with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko following their talks at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
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Kremlin Says Putin Sent Trump a Message on Ukraine Ceasefire Idea, Talks of 'Cautious Optimism'

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a joint news conference with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko following their talks at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a joint news conference with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko following their talks at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

The Kremlin said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had sent US President Donald Trump a message about his proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine via Trump's special envoy and that there were grounds for "cautious optimism."
Putin held late night talks in Moscow with Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy, to discuss the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Kyiv has already accepted the idea.
Peskov said Putin had conveyed "signals" to Trump via Witkoff, and had received information from the American about US thinking on Ukraine.
"There are certainly reasons to be cautiously optimistic. You heard a very important statement yesterday from President Putin, who was answering a journalist's question. He said that he supports President Trump's position in terms of a settlement, but he voiced some questions that need to be answered together," said Peskov.
"So, yes, indeed, there is still a lot to be done, but nevertheless, the president expressed solidarity with Mr. Trump's position."
Peskov said Russia and the US would work out the timing of a phone call between their two presidents once Witkoff had briefed Trump.