Iran's Khamenei vows revenge after deadly attack on shrine - Reuters

DUBAI, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Iran's ultimate Leader vowed connected Thursday to retaliate against those threatening the country's information aft the massacre of Shi'ite pilgrims, an battle claimed by Islamic State which threatens to inflame tensions amid wide anti-government protests.

In a connection work connected authorities TV, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the assailants "will surely beryllium punished" and called connected Iranians to unite.

"We each person a work to woody with the force and its traitorous oregon ignorant agents," said Khamenei a time aft the onslaught killed 15 people.

Khamenei's telephone for unity appeared to beryllium directed astatine mostly authorities loyalists and not protesters whose astir six-week aged question is seen arsenic a menace to nationalist information by authorities.

Iran's clerical rulers person faced nationwide protests since the decease successful constabulary custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, connected Sept. 16.

Iranians person called for the decease of Khamenei and an extremity to the Islamic Republic during the protests, which person go 1 of the boldest challenges to the clerical enactment since the 1979 revolution, drafting galore Iranians connected to the streets.

Iranian officials said they had arrested a gunman who carried retired the onslaught astatine the Shah Cheragh shrine successful the metropolis of Shiraz. State media blamed "takfiri terrorists" - a statement Tehran uses for hardline Sunni Muslim militants specified arsenic Islamic State.

A elder authoritative said the suspected attacker was successful captious information aft being changeable by police.

"The shrine violent is successful captious condition... and we person not been capable to interrogate him yet," said lawman provincial politician Easmail Mohebipour, quoted by the semi-official Tasnim quality agency.

CCTV footage broadcast connected authorities TV connected Thursday showed the attacker entering the shrine aft hiding an battle firearm successful a container and shooting arsenic worshippers tried to fly and fell successful corridors.

Islamic State, which erstwhile posed a information menace crossed the Middle East, has claimed erstwhile unit successful Iran, including deadly duplicate attacks successful 2017 that targeted parliament and the tomb of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Since the highest of its power, erstwhile it ruled millions of radical successful the Middle East and struck fearfulness crossed the satellite with deadly bombings and shootings, Islamic State has slipped backmost into the shadows.

Iran often accuses the West and its determination rivals Israel and Saudi Arabia of fomenting attacks. Saudi Arabia denies this and Israel usually declines to remark connected its moves against the Islamic Republic.

Wednesday's sidesplitting of Shi'ite pilgrims came connected the aforesaid time that Iranian information forces clashed with progressively strident protesters marking 40 days since Amini's death.

Iranian quality rights groups said determination were unconfirmed reports that immoderate members of Amini's household are nether location arrest. Reuters could not verify these reports. Reuters tried to scope Amini's begetter and brother.

The authorities, who person accused the United States and different Western countries of fomenting what they telephone "riots", person yet to state a decease toll, but authorities media person said astir 30 members of the information forces person been killed.

The activistic quality bureau HRANA said successful a posting that astatine slightest 252 protesters had been killed successful the unrest, including 36 minors.

It said 30 members of the information forces were killed and much than 13,800 radical had been arrested arsenic of Wednesday successful protests successful 122 cities and towns and immoderate 109 universities.

Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Nick Macfie

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