Iranian Deputy Minister Killed In Tehran

Safdar Rahmat Abadi (file photo)

The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency says an unidentified attacker shot dead the Iranian deputy industries minister.

The report said Safdar Rahmat Abadi had been shot in the head and chest in his car on the evening of November 10 in the east of the capital, Tehran.

The report quoted a police official as saying it appears the two shots were fired from inside the vehicle, suggesting the attacker had been traveling with Abadi. Two shells were found inside the vehicle, according to police.

There was no immediate indication of who may have been responsible, but the semiofficial Mehr news agency quotes police Colonel Alireza Mehrabi as saying the killing was likely the result of a personal dispute and was not an assassination.

Abadi was the deputy minister for industry, mines and commerce in President Hassan Rohani’s government.

Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP