The state-run IRIB news agency published a vague report stating that following a shooting near a “military center,” three “compatriots were martyred.” The dimensions of the incident remain unclear. About two weeks earlier, two young nature tourists were also killed by security forces in the city of Hamedan.
According to the report, on the evening of Thursday, July 17, individuals described by IRIB as “security guards of a military center” in Khomein, located in Iran’s Markazi province, became suspicious of two passing vehicles and opened fire, resulting in the “martyrdom of three compatriots.”
The same report quoted the Khomein county prosecutor as confirming the incident, stating: “A judicial case has been opened, and the details of the incident are under investigation.”
IRIB emphasized that “those responsible for this incident” are currently in custody. In the terminology of Iran’s regime-controlled media, the phrase “martyrdom of compatriots” typically refers to civilian casualties. Given that this incident involved gunfire from “military center guards” toward passing vehicles, it is likely that the victims were ordinary citizens. In contrast, regime media openly refer to military casualties using terms such as “security martyrs.”
The Iranian regime has a long history of its agents shooting ordinary citizens. In August 2024, Arezou Badri, a 31-year-old woman, was shot and severely injured by police for not observing mandatory hijab laws while in her personal vehicle. In May 2022, Maria Arefi and Reza Moradkhani were shot by the regime’s so-called “morality patrol” officers.
Since the 12-day war, the Iranian regime’s military forces have altered the nature of their attacks on civilian populations. On July 2, the Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), confirmed reports of the killing of two young men in Hamedan by the regime’s security forces, stating the incident was the result of fire from “security operations forces” targeting a vehicle carrying three passengers.
The Shooting of Arezoo Badri: A Tragic Case of Violence and Repression in Iran
The two young men were Mehdi Abaei and Alireza Karbasi, who had gone to the outskirts of Hamedan for a nature trip. At their funeral, mourners chanted the slogan: “I will kill, I will kill / the one who killed my brother.”
Although regime officials repeatedly claim they will “deal with those responsible” for such incidents, in previous cases, no reports have been released to the public regarding any actual disciplinary actions, investigation processes, or punishments for the offending regime agents.
