Iran says Guards colonel shot dead in Tehran attack

The killing of Colonel Sayyad Khodai is the most high profile murder inside Iran since the November 2020 

An Iranian Revolutionary Guards colonel was shot dead outside his Tehran home on Sunday, the Guards said, blaming his "assassination" on assailants linked to the United States and its allies, Qazet.az reports.

The killing of Colonel Sayyad Khodai is the most high profile murder inside Iran since the November 2020 killing of top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

Iran had accused Israel of masterminding the attack on Fakhrizadeh’s convoy near Tehran, and later identified him as a deputy defence minister.

On Sunday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said that "elements linked to global arrogance" -- a reference to the US and its allies, including Israel -- were responsible for the "terrorist act" that claimed Khodai’s life.

In a statement posted on their website, the Guards said Khodai "was assassinated in an armed attack carried out by two motorcyclists on Mojahedin-e Eslam street in Tehran", outside his home.

The Guards -- the ideological arm of Iran’s military -- described Khodai as a "defender of the sanctuary", a term used for anyone who works on behalf of the Islamic republic in Syria or Iraq.

Iran wields considerable influence in Iraq, home to key Shiite holy shrines, where it says it has "military advisors" tasked with training foreign "volunteers".