Khamenei's Message Following Incidents in Iraq and Semnan; Three Arrested in Semnan

While reports from Semnan indicate that three individuals identified as 'agents' of the deadly train accident have been arrested, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also issued a special message on Saturday, urging 'officials' not to 'easily pass over these painful incidents.' On Friday, December 5, two passenger trains collided on the Semnan-Damghan route at the 'Haft-Khan' station, resulting in fires in several carriages and leading to at least 44 deaths and 100 injuries. Although the figure of 44 victims has not yet been 'confirmed,' this incident can be considered the deadliest rail accident in Iran in at least the past decade. The Mehr News Agency reported that the number of victims could be as high as 45. Following this incident and the message from the heads of the three branches of the Islamic Republic regarding the investigation and root cause analysis, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic also called on government officials on Saturday, December 6, to 'not easily pass over these painful incidents.' According to Fars News Agency, Khamenei stated that state officials should prioritize 'the concern of addressing the root causes of these afflictions and similar issues of the people.' Meanwhile, the prosecutor of Semnan Province announced the arrest of three individuals believed to be responsible for the collision of the two passenger trains near Semnan city. This provincial official also reported that 'necessary orders have been issued to identify other culprits of this incident.' Previously, Gholamreza Kateb, a member of the Semnan Province representatives, had attributed the cause of this incident to an 'inappropriate order' for the train's movement issued by a station manager. Mohsen Poursaid Aghaei, the CEO of Iran Railways, explained that the Tabriz-Mashhad train had stopped due to cold weather and freezing of the braking system on a bend, and its stop was reported to the control center in Shahroud. However, according to Mr. Poursaid Aghaei, due to a shift change in the control responsibility, the replacement individual was unaware of this issue and informed the Mashhad-Semnan train that the route was clear. According to a report from Mehr News Agency citing the public prosecutor of Semnan, 'the Tabriz-Mashhad train had over 400 passengers, of which more than 60% have been transferred, and most of the injured from the Semnan-Mashhad train have been treated on an outpatient basis, while the condition of one hundred passengers from both trains remains unknown.'