TEHRAN- Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has denounced a recent terrorist assault on the Shah Cheragh shrine in Shiraz, a city in southcentral Iran.

Türk responded to a letter from Kazem Gharibabadi, the secretary general of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, by firmly denouncing the terrorist attack and expressing alarm that it was the second such attack on the shrine in less than a year.

He added that such acts that target civilians and places of worship are abhorrent, barbaric, and cannot be justified under any circumstances

The intention behind such terrible acts is to cause terror among people, the UN human rights chief pointed out.

In a recent letter to Türk, Gharibabadi had urged the top UN representative for human rights to take a stand against the evil phenomenon of terrorism and denounce the terrorist assault on Shah Cheragh.

The armed terrorist attack on the shrine on August 13 resulted in two fatalities and seven injuries. This was the second such attack on the shrine in less than a year.

The world community as well as high-ranking officials strongly condemned the attack.

Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general, strongly condemned the terrorist act, his spokesperson told reporters.

“Acts targeting religious sites, and places of worship are abhorrent,” Stephane Dujarric said.

The UN chief stressed the need to bring to justice those responsible for the heinous crime against civilians who were expressing their freedom of religion.

The European Union’s senior spokesperson for foreign affairs, Peter Stano, strongly denounced the attack that Daesh took responsibility for.

“The attack, claimed by #Daesh, is yet another example of terrorists targeting innocent civilians,” Stano said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement, denounced the terrorist act in a televised speech. He said it appeared that the United States has decided to send terrorists out into numerous areas once more.

According to an unidentified source from Syria’s Foreign and Expatriates Ministry, the incident was carried out by terrorists backed by foreign parties in order to destabilize security in Iran.

The ministry went on to say that the unlawful conduct was both inhumane and repugnant, urging “all parties involved to stop their support for such deeds.”