Iranian Cleric Shot Dead by Bank Security Guard

One of Iran’s most senior clerics was killed by a shot to the back by a security guard in a bank branch in the northern town of Babolsar on Wednesday, Iranian state media has confirmed. 

The death of Ayatollah Abbasali Soleimani, a prominent Shia Muslim cleric, has raised questions about the motives behind the attack as the country grapples with anti-government protests, and growing social unrest. But the local officials from northern Mazandran province said the attack was random and lacked a “terrorist” nature. 

A video published by Tasnim, an Iranian state media outlet, showed a security guard firing a shot at close range at Soleimani’s back, while he was sitting on a chair. Other people inside the bank quickly intervened and took the gun away from the guard. No other casualties were reported.

Soleimani was a leading figure in the powerful 88-member Assembly of Experts, which represents the country’s religious establishment and elects the country’s Supreme Leader.  State media reported he was rushed to hospital and soon died from fatal wounds. 

Iranian media has labelled Soleimani a “martyr” and reported that a state funeral will be held on Friday. He will be buried in Qom. 

Soleimani was among the most controversial religious figures in Iran, known for his hardcore views on issues such as total gender segregation in public.

During a speech in 2021, he criticised the rise of open-kitchen designs inside Iranian homes, arguing that they increase the chance of guests and non-family members interacting with the women in the house while they are cooking. 

Mahmoud Hosseinipour, the governor of northern Mazandaran province, was cited by Tasnim saying that it is “incorrect” to speculate about the security nature of the incident. “Preliminary investigations into the motive of the attacker are underway, and his motive for carrying out the attack remains unclear,” he told Iranian state television. He added that it was more likely to be a “random” attack and that “the attacker didn’t know Ayatollah Soleimani” personally. 

Recently, anti-clergy sentiment has been on the rise in Iran. The high-profile attack comes after nationwide youth-led protests have died down, including anti-government protests and a growing movement against the country’s compulsory hijab rules.

Soleimani served for 17 years as the representative of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, where anti-government protests frequently break out. He oversaw the judiciary branches that cracked down on any political dissident in the region. 

The death of Soleimani has raised concerns about the targeting of high-ranking members of Iran’s religious establishment. While attacks by angry bystanders on clergy members in Iran are not uncommon, this is the first time a member of the Assembly of Experts has been shot dead.