Two ruthless Iranian judges allegedly responsible for the mass execution of political dissidents in 1988 were killed in a shootout at the Supreme Court building in Tehran.
Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghisseh were shot Saturday morning after a gunman opened fire at the Supreme Court in a “planned murder,” according to the judiciary’s website.
The shooter is said to have committed suicide after the attack.
The state news agency IRNA also reported that another person was injured in the attack.
The two judges murdered He is said to have worked on cases “fighting crimes against national security, espionage and terrorism.”
The motive for the killing was not immediately clear, but according to the judiciary, the attacker was not involved in any case before the Supreme Court.
He did not provide further details about the attacker’s identity.
According to authorities, an investigation has been launched into the incident.
Two senior Iranian judges were killed in a shooting at the Supreme Court building in Tehran. In the photo: Judge Ali Razini

Mohammad Moghisseh, 68, had been sanctioned by the United States in 2019

Members of the police stand in front of the judiciary building after the assassination of Supreme Court judges Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini in Tehran, Iran, on January 18, 2025.
President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed his condolences over the deaths and called on authorities to act quickly.
“I strongly urge security and law enforcement forces to take necessary measures as soon as possible by examining the dimensions and angles of this reprehensible act and identifying its perpetrators,” he said.
Veteran Judge Moghisseh, 68, was sanctioned in 2019 by the United States for having “overseen countless unfair trials, during which charges were left without merit and evidence was ignored,” according to the US Treasury Department.
Razini, 71, held several senior positions in Iran’s judiciary and was previously the target of an assassination attempt in 1998 by assailants “who planted a magnetic bomb in his vehicle,” according to Mizan.
Although attacks on judges are rare, Iran has seen several shootings against high-profile figures in recent years.
In October, a Shiite Muslim preacher was shot dead in the southern city of Kazeroun after leading Friday prayers.

The motive behind his murder was not immediately clear.

Attacks on judges are rare, but Iran has seen several shootings against high-profile figures in recent years.
In April 2023, a powerful cleric identified as Abbas Ali Soleimani was also shot dead at a bank in the northern province of Mazandaran.
And in August 2005, renowned Iranian judge Hassan Moghaddas was assassinated by two gunmen who boarded his car in the middle of a busy shopping district in Tehran.
Two men convicted of his murder were publicly executed by hanging two years later.