A former mayor of Tehran has admitted in a state television news broadcast that he shot his wife dead in their apartment.

A bizarre Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) news segment shows the former mayor sat with police chiefs in their office drinking tea, while the reporter handles the gun with which Mohammad Ali Najafi allegedly killed Mitra Ostad, his second wife on May 27. Najafi, who had only a short tenure as mayor last year, is then interviewed by the reporter. During the interview he states that he “only intended to scare” his wife before shooting her in the bathroom five times in the chest. Tehran prosecutor Mohammad Shahriari said on May 28 that Najafi "surrendered to police officers" after going missing and confessed to killing his wife over “family issues,” Tasnim news agency reported.

Najafi will likely be sentenced to death for the killing under Iran's Sharia-based penal code.

It is illegal for regular citizens in Iran to carry a handgun. However, there are reports that Najafi owned a special permit allowing him to keep such a weapon in his Tehran apartment.

Najafi, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate, served seven months in all as mayor. He became caught up in a public spat with conservative clerics who accused him of promoting "immoral culture" following a dance performance by 10-year-old girls at a city theatre. Following the disagreement, Najafi handed in his resignation. However, the official reason given for his departure was that he was suffering from cancer.

RFE/RL reported on May 28 that website Ensaf News wrote that Ostad called its newsroom on May 27 and was due to visit its offices for a formal interview on May 28. Ensaf added that Ostad later postponed the interview, citing an upcoming trip.

Following Najafi’s resignation, the city made Samiollah Hosseini Makarem acting mayor. However, in later voting, he lost out to Mohammad Ali Afshani by 19 votes to 22.