Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Sunday for a crackdown on illegal weapons after the shooting of a cleric.
He noted that easy access to guns in the United States served only a “mafia of gun manufacturers.”
“In some countries, such as the United States, weapons are freely sold in the interest of the mafia of gun manufacturers and this causes problems for the people,” he was quoted by his website as saying.
“But in our country there is no such problem and the sale of weapons is banned,” he told senior police officials, adding that people must be prevented from obtaining firearms illegally, Reuters reported.
Police said on Sunday that the suspect in the killing of a 46-year-old cleric in the western city of Hamedan had died in a shootout with police.
The suspect’s motive was unknown, Iranian media said.
“The killer ... of the cleric in Hamedan released images with four types of weapon on his Instagram page. It is the duty of police to fight such cases,” Khamenei added, calling for controls on social media.
According to Reuters, guns are strictly regulated in Iran but are available in some tribal and remote regions. Poaching also occurs in protected areas.
