TEHRAN – Iranian Ambassador to China Mohammad Keshavarzzadeh has sent a letter to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization urging the Beijing-based body to condemn the assassination of Iranian military officer Sayad Khodaei.

In a tweet on Friday, the Iranian embassy in Beijing said, “One of the objectives of the SCO is to combat terrorism and consolidate peace and stability in Eurasian and Iran has played a major role in that regard.”

Khodaei, a member of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), was shot point-blank in his car on May 23 in downtown Tehran.

Majid Mir-Ahmadi, secretary of the Security Council of the Country (SCC), said Israel was behind the assassination. “The assassination of Martyr Khodaei was definitely carried out by the Zionist regime, and the criminals must be prepared for a severe slap in the face from Iran,” he told state news agency IRNA.

He added, “The criminals who have committed such a crime must be prepared for a severe slap in the face, because our revenge will be such that they will regret their action.”

Iran has strongly condemned the assassination.

“Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh condemned the terrorist operation in Tehran on Sunday that led to the martyrdom of Sayyad Khodaei, an honored Islamic Revolution Guards Corps colonel, offering condolences and congratulations to the families of the martyr and his fellow IRGC servicemen,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on May 23.

The spokesman said, “The sworn enemies of the holy establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran once again exposed their malevolent nature by assassinating and martyring one of the self-giving IRGC members.”

Majid Takht Ravanchi, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, also sent a similar letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urging him to condemn the assassination of the IRGC officer.

“In line with its responsibilities to genuinely fight terrorism and in a non-discriminatory manner, the UN is expected to condemn this atrocious act,” Takht Ravanchi said.