Speaker Writes to Counterparts Over Assassination

Date: 27 May 2022 - 21:23

News ID: ۱۰۳۰۶۳

TEHRAN -- Iran’s parliament speaker has written to the world’s leading parliamentary bodies, urging international condemnation of the recent assassination of a member of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Tehran.
Muhammad Baqer Qalibaf addressed his Thursday letter to head of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), as well as secretaries general of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC) and the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) with regard to the assassination of former IRGC member Sayyad Khodaei, who played a significant role in the fight against Daesh and other terrorist groups in the region.
Citing the contents of the Charter of the United Nations, the principles of international law and the norms of fundamental human rights, Iran’s top parliamentarian said the recent assassination was an extension of systematic and targeted killing of Iranian citizens, scientists and members of its armed forces.
“The continuation of the evil trend of state-run terrorism against citizens of countries amounts to brazen violation of the rule of law and ... remaining silent toward it will further embolden both principals and agents of such provocative actions that violate the norms,” he said.
“The international community must be seriously concerned about the dangerous consequences of such terrorist acts for international peace and security, and condemn such brutal assassinations by certain notorious regimes,” he added.
Stressing that the Islamic Republic, as one of the victims of terrorism, has always been at the forefront of the fight against this
sinister phenomenon, Qalibaf said, “Such acts of terror will not undermine Iran’s firm resolve in the fight against terrorism and will strengthen our determination to continue on this path.”
The top Iranian parliamentarian underlined the need for legal and judicial investigations into the cowardly assassination, and called on the international community to condemn the act to fulfill its role in fighting terrorism.
The attack on Khodaei, which claimed his life, happened in Tehran at around 4 p.m. local time (1130 GMT) on Sunday when two motorcyclists shot him five times while he was in his car, and fled the scene.
In a statement issued soon after the assassination, the IRGC said the killing was carried out by “counterrevolutionary elements,” adding that necessary measures have been taken to identify and arrest the assailant or assailants.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi on Monday blamed the world’s hegemonic powers for the assassination of the former IRGC member, vowing “definite revenge” for the terrorist attack.
The New York Times on Wednesday quoted an Israeli intelligence official as saying that the occupying regime has informed American officials that it was behind the assassination of the IRGC member.
The Zionist regime’s footsteps have already been traced in a number of attacks on Iranian nuclear sites and assassination of its scientists.