TEHRAN – The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence announced on Monday that it had busted a group of 26 terrorists in relation to the Shiraz attack that was led by an Azerbaijani national.

The ministry said it has so far detained 26 terrorists who were involved or planning to carry out terrorist attacks across Iran, including Zahedan. 

“All the individuals arrested are non-Iranian and hold Azerbaijani, Tajik, and Afghan citizenship,” the ministry said in a statement. 

It also said that the mastermind behind the Shiraz attack who coordinated it is an Azerbaijani national. 

“The main coordinating and orchestrating element of the operation inside the country is an Azerbaijani national who boarded a plane at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku and entered the country via Imam Khomeini airport. After arriving in Tehran, this individual informed the coordinating element in the Republic of Azerbaijan of his presence,” the statement said, according to IRNA. 

The Intelligence Ministry said the Azerbaijani national contacted Daesh’s network of foreign nationals through a Daesh superior in Afghanistan. 

The Shiraz attack took place on October 26 at Maghrib prayer time, when a terrorist opened fire at the pilgrims with his AK-47 rifle, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens of others. The attack prompted national grief and sorrow amid a continued wave of unrest.

Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack. 

Iran has criticized the United Nations Security Council’s silence over the attack.  In a letter to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres late on Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said, “You are aware that the great nation of Iran has been the target of yet another terrorist attack. Following previous terrorist attacks on Iranian citizens, diplomats, scientists, and peaceful nuclear facilities, on 26 October 2022, a sinister terrorist attack targeting pilgrims to the holy shrine of the Shah-e-Cheragh in Shiraz resulted in the martyrdom of 15 innocent Iranians, including men, women, and children, and the injury of 30 others.”

Amir Abdollahian added, “This terrorist attack, for which ISIS/Daesh officially claimed responsibility, demonstrated the significance of the bravery of martyred General Qassem Soleimani in the fight against such a terrorist group as well as the necessity of protecting the security of nations of the region from dangers posed by this terrorist group, highlighted the importance of maintaining ongoing, successful efforts in the region to eradicate terrorism and reminded the international community that its sensitivity and vigilance toward terrorist threats should not be compromised.”

He noted, “The Security Council's inexcusable silence in the face of this crime demonstrated that some powers, who are also permanent members of the Security Council, continue to categorize terrorists as either good or bad, and not only use ISIS as a tool to exert pressure on other nations to further their own narrow political agendas, but also their discriminatory and irresponsible actions make it more difficult for the Security Council to effectively carry out its mandate in combating international terrorism.”

The foreign minister said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran, as a victim of terrorism and a pioneer in the fight against terrorist groups in the region, is steadfast in its determination to continue its efforts in the fight against terrorism, both to protect the security of the region's nations and the honorable and great nation of Iran from the dangers posed by such terrorist group.”