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Dozens Killed, Injured in Terrorist Attack in Ahwaz

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran will respond “swiftly and decisively” to the terrorist attack, holding agents of a foreign regime responsible.
Dozens Killed, Injured in Terrorist Attack in Ahwaz
Dozens Killed, Injured in Terrorist Attack in Ahwaz
In a message, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is ready to boost joint efforts in the fight against terrorism

  At least 25 people were killed and more than 60 were wounded in a terrorist attack on a military parade in southwestern Iran on Saturday in the bloodiest assault  in recent years, IRNA reported.      

Gunmen disguised as soldiers targeted a stand where  officials and spectators had gathered in Ahvaz in Khuzestan Province to watch an annual event marking the start of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.   

The death toll, which includes women and children as well as members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, is expected to rise as some of the injured were in critical condition.

All four gunmen were killed, with three dying during the attack and one later succumbing to his wounds in  hospital.  

*** Claim of Responsibility

The Al-Ahvaziya group, which IRGC spokesman, Ramezan Sharif, said is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia, claimed responsibility for the attack.  

The Islamic State terrorist group, known as Daesh, also claimed responsibility in a message on its Amaaq news agency, AP reported.

Neither group provided evidence, according to Reuters.   

*** Crushing Response

In separate phone calls, President Hassan Rouhani tasked the interior minister and Khuzestan's governor with investigating the incident and mobilizing resources to address the needs of the injured.   

He instructed the Intelligence Ministry and other relevant bodies to identify the perpetrators of the attack and bring them to justice.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will give a crushing response to the smallest threat," the president said, adding, "Those who sponsor terrorists by providing them with intelligence and propaganda support will be held accountable."

*** Foreign Agents Responsible  

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran will respond "swiftly and decisively" to the terrorist attack, holding agents of a foreign regime responsible.

"Terrorists recruited, trained, armed & paid by a foreign regime have attacked Ahvaz. Children and journos among casualties," Zarif tweeted.

He did not specify which regional government he thinks was responsible for the shooting, but his comments were seen as a reference to Iran's regional arch-rival Saudi Arabia, which is a close ally of Washington.

"Iran holds regional terror sponsors and their US masters accountable for such attacks. Iran will respond swiftly and decisively in defense of Iranian lives."  

*** Foreign Condemnation

Foreign countries denounced the attack and expressed condolences to the Iranian government and families of the victims.  

In a message, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is ready to boost joint efforts in the fight against terrorism.  

"We are appalled by this bloody crime," Putin wrote to Rouhani, according to the text of the telegram posted on the Kremlin website, AFP reported.

"We expect that everyone involved will face a deserved punishment," Putin said, adding, "This event once again reminds us about the necessity of an uncompromising battle against terrorism in all of its manifestations. I would like to confirm our readiness to continue building cooperation with Iranian partners in resisting this evil."

*** Sordid Crime

Syria's Foreign Ministry condemned the assault in the "strongest terms", saying that those sponsoring "terrorism in the region won't be able to achieve their plots using these sordid crimes," AP reported.

Pakistan's Foreign Office expressed solidarity with Tehran and said Islamabad is against all forms of terrorism.

The UK's envoy to Tehran condemned the violence in a statement posted to Twitter.

"Wherever it happens terrorism must be condemned.  All our condolences to the families of the victims," wrote Ambassador Rob Macaire, the Independent reported.

Last year, in the first deadly assault claimed by Daesh in Tehran, 18 people were killed at the parliament and mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. 

 

Leader: Accomplices in Terror Attack Must Face Justice

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Saturday that the terrorist attack in  Ahvaz was the continuation of plots hatched by US minions in the region, adding that Iran’s intelligence services should soon find the accomplices of the criminals behind the attack and put them on trial.

Ayatollah Khamenei in a message expressed his condolences over the terrorist attack which killed at least 25 people and injured more than 60 others.

“This crime is a continuation of the plots of the regional states that are puppets of the United States, and their goal is to create insecurity in our country,” he said in a statement published on his website.

 

 

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