The session was presided over by Judge Hosseinzadeh at the 55th branch of the Justice Administration of Tehran for International Affairs.
Sharmahd, a US resident, was the ringleader of the Tondar (Thunder) terrorist group. He was convicted of planning a terrorist attack in 2008 against a religious congregation center in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, Fars Province, which killed 14 people and wounded nearly 200 others.
In April, Iran’s Supreme Court upheld Sharmahd’s death sentence, which was handed to him in February on charges of “corruption on earth” by planning and orchestrating a series of terrorist acts against the Islamic Republic.
Speaking at the court session, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs said Sharmahd had claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack through his media outlet and declared plans to commit more acts of terror.
“The US has officially supported the Tondar terrorist group, and the headquarters of this terrorist group had been based in America,” said the lawyer. “The US has been notified many times through Interpol that this is a terrorist group, but not only no measures have been taken to prevent the actions of this group, they have also been supported.”
Another lawyer said the US government solely provided financial support for the terrorist group and paid huge sums of money to their agents in Iran.
At the end of the court session, Judge Hosseinzadeh said all defendants who are abroad have been officially summoned, but they, including the US government and authorities, have neither responded nor chosen a lawyer.
“Therefore, the court has convened according to the regulations and after examining the evidence, will make an appropriate decision,” he added.
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