TEHRAN – The Shah Cheragh shrine in Iran’s southcentral city of Shiraz has come under a deadly terrorist attack for the second time in the past year. 

An armed terrorist opened fire on people at the entrance of the shrine late on Sunday which has so far resulted in the death of one person and injury of at least 8 others. 
The attack comes after terrorists largely failed to carry out assaults during the month of Moharram’s mourning processions. Several groups were detained in connection to such plans as Iran’s security and intelligence forces were in full swing to not let a tragedy happen. It seems that terrorists decided to carry out their wicked plans when Iran was no longer under a security alert.  

The last terrorist attack happening in October left 15 people dead. Daesh took responsibility for the attack, claiming it wanted to take revenge for the heavy blow it had received from Iran in the 2010s. While Daesh has not yet taken responsibility for the Sunday assault, the new terror act can be looked at from the same perspective. In July, Iran executed two people linked to the October attack and Daesh vowed to take revenge for their death. 

The Shah Cheragh shrine is a place of spiritual significance to Iranians, and therefore it can be used for the perfect revenge scheme. 

But even if we find out that Daesh is responsible for the attack, the group is not a force capable of making such moves on its own. Iran’s Interior Minister has slammed the so-called defenders of human rights for their silence on the tragedy, saying the West is fueling terrorism by keeping mum. What Ahmad Vahidi has not mentioned in his remarks is that the latest offensive is in fact another chapter of a full-waged war against the Iranian people which is being masterminded by the West and Israel.

It was previously revealed by the Tehran Times that Western governments, especially the U.S., were the ones encompassing the 2022 fall riots in Iran, pouring all their efforts into instigating insecurity in the country. According to the document obtained by the Tehran Times, the Biden administration held several briefings on how it could use the riots to its own benefit, exploring various ways to try and stop Iran from stemming the brawls. The U.S. tried to create a sprawling chain of insecurity and insurgency across Iran; all of course to no avail. 

The latest terrorist attack can be seen as another attempt by the same forces spearheading last year’s riots to once again repeat the disturbing events. The 2022 fall riots resulted in the death of dozens of security forces and ordinary people and also laid waste to various aspects of everyday life.

Iran’s enemies are trying to inject hope into the small number of people preparing to once again infest Iranian streets with insecurity and riots. The terrorist attack can be a big catalyzer for rioters who have been witnessing no cooperation from Iranian citizens. 

Another fact that must be taken into account is Iran’s recent frenzy of diplomacy which has led to numerous achievements. The most notable of all is perhaps a deal between Iran and the U.S. that secures the release of $10bn of Tehran’s funds blocked in South Korea which the Biden administration has been receiving scathing criticism for. Biden’s critics, particularly Republicans, see the release of Iran’s assets as a blow to the U.S. hegemony and believe the Islamic Republic has won big time. Sunday’s attack might be to deflect attention from Iran’s success in the field of diplomacy and Washington’s impotence against the country. 

This attention deflection strategy also has to do with what’s happening inside Israel and European countries as well as the war in Ukraine. 

Israel and Europe have been convulsed with debilitating strikes and protests in the past months. Israel in particular, in its own politicians’ words, is in a way inching closer to its end. It is grappling with widespread civil disobedience and is even being affected in different military sectors. New resistance groups are also emerging against the regime in the occupied territories after Israel experienced a heavy defeat against Gaza in its last war. 

Another point worth mentioning is the Mujahedin-e-Khaq Organization’s continuous losses against the Islamic Republic. The terror group’s ring leader was banned from entering her host country after the MKO camp was raided by Albanian police in June. Several of the groups controlled by the organization were also dismantled inside Iran. The ones responsible for the attack might have made the move on behalf of the countries that sponsor MKO terrorists.

It seems that a series of defeats against the Islamic Republic has led Iran’s enemies to once again resort to instigating insecurity inside the country. We must wait and see whether Iran’s intelligence and security forces can neutralize the enemies’ plots and maintain the calm, or that the West and Israel’s wishful thinking will turn into reality.