Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed his desire to strengthen cooperation with Iran in the fight against terrorism following an attack in the city of Shiraz, claimed by Islamic State, which has claimed the lives of at least 15 people.
«It is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than the murder of civilians, including children and women, within the walls of a religious shrine. Once again we have seen that terrorism violates not only laws, but also the norms of human morality,» he explained in a missive to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
The Russian president also sent his condolences to the families, friends and acquaintances of the victims, as well as his «speedy recovery» to the wounded, as reported by the Presidency on its official website.
In addition to the 15 dead, the armed attack, which occurred while worshippers were performing their prayers at the Shah Cheragh mosque in Shiraz, located in southeastern Iran, wounded at least 40 people, according to police sources.
SITE Intelligence Group, an agency specialized in tracking terrorist groups, reported that the Islamic State had claimed responsibility for the attack, which was carried out on a day when several Iranian cities were the scene of anti-government demonstrations on the 40th day since the death of the young Kurdish woman Masha Amini in police custody.
The White House warned Wednesday that the United States has seen signs that Russia may be advising Iran on how to suppress public demonstrations, U.S. broadcaster CNN reported.
«The evidence that Iran is helping Russia unleash its war against Ukraine is clear and public. And Iran and Russia are getting closer and closer as they become more isolated. Our message to Iran is very, very clear: stop killing your people and stop sending weapons to Russia to help kill Ukrainians,» said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre.
