Two young men were killed and two others wounded Friday night in a drive-by shooting at a Moharram event in Khuzestan province.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The Islamic State claimed credit for an attack in Saudi Arabia at almost the same time where a gunman killed five Shia worshippers marking the start of the mourning mon th of Moharram.
The Islamic State has not yet shown a presence in Iran, but the regime has made clear it is very fearful of IS attacks. It has repeatedly claimed to have arrested IS plotters and to have broken up IS conspiracies to disrupt life in Iran.
In Friday’s Khuzestan attack, the assailants drove a car with no number plates passed a crowd of Shia worshippers in Dezful, opening fire at around 10:30 p.m., the Fars news agency said, citing a witness.
Hossain Karimi-Yeganeh, 28, and Bahman Rezai, 25, were killed in the attack, and two wounded people were taken to a hospital, Fars said.
“It’s not still clear whether the attack was a terrorist one,” provincial police Colonel Rahman Musavi said. “Investigators are reviewing the matter and will announce the results as soon as possible.”
Khuzestan province has a large Arab Sunni minority and an active movement demanding autonomy or independence that the regime firmly represses. The dissidents have frequently engaged in bombings and other terror attacks, but there is no well-organized movement as there is among Baluchis and Kurds.