Protest-hit Iran vows to 'punish' those behind shrine massacre

Iran's leaders vowed Thursday to "punish" those behind a shooting that killed 15 worshippers at a shrine.

As thousands mourned 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on Wednesday, Iran was rocked by an attack in which, state media said, a gunman killed at least 15 people at a shrine in the southern city of Shiraz.

"The intention of the enemy is to disrupt the country's progress", President Ebrahim Raisi declared. He has vowed "a severe response" over the mass killing at the Shah Cheragh mausoleum following evening prayers.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for united efforts against the "plot" by Iran's enemies. "The perpetrator or perpetrators of this saddening crime will certainly be punished," he said.

Iran has been gripped by its biggest protests for years since Amini died on September 16, three days after her Tehran arrest for allegedly breaching the country's dress code for women.

The latest protests in the West follow a massive ceremony Wednesday marking 40 days since Amini's death, held in her hometown of Saqez, Kurdistan province.

Iran's ISNA news agency said nearly 10,000 people had gathered there, but many thousands more were seen making their way in cars, on motorbikes and on foot, in videos widely shared online.

Despite heightened security measures, columns of mourners had poured into Saqez on Wednesday, paying tribute at Amini's grave at the end of the traditional 40-day mourning period.

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• MENA