25 people killed, 60 injured, during attack on military parade in southern Iran - UPDATE: Iran blames 'regional terror sponsors & their US masters' for the attack

RT
Sat, 22 Sep 2018 09:41 UTC

© AFP

Unknown assailants have attacked an army parade in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz. The attack has left at least eight soldiers and several attackers dead, local media reports.

Gunmen opened fire from behind the stands during a military parade in Ahvaz on Saturday, killing and injuring several people. Shooting broke out several minutes into the parade, which featured troops from the Iranian Army's 92nd armored division, Iran's ISNA news agency reported.

The assailants were apparently wearing military uniforms, and the attack lasted for about 10 minutes. The agency's Twitter account has released a set of photos showing the aftermath of the attack.

The gunfire left at least eight people dead, Tasnim said. According to conflicting reports, as many as 20 people were injured in the exchange of fire. Four out of five attackers were killed as troops and security forces returned fire.

The parade was attended by members of the local elite, including the Ahvaz governor as well as high-ranking clerics and MPs. No one has claimed credit for the shooting yet.

The attack comes as the nation commemorates the end of the eight-year Iran-Iraq conflict. The anniversary was marked by a grand military event in Tehran, where mobile missile launchers, heavy armor, and troops paraded through the main street of the capital.

During the Tehran parade, Iranian leaders seized the opportunity to send a message to the US. Hassan Rouhani said Iran will never abandon its efforts to develop ballistic missiles, as these are "the most powerful weapons of the Islamic Republic." He stressed their "defensive" nature, however.

Comment: See also: Iran holds nationwide military parades, tells U.S. to get out of Gulf - cozies up with Turkey

Update: Following a deadly attack on a military parade in southern Iran, the country's foreign minister said that regional sponsors of terrorism and their "US masters" are to be held accountable for such assaults.

Top Iranian diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif vowed to respond "swiftly and decisively" after gunmen opened fire in Ahvaz on Saturday leading to multiple casualties. The minister claimed that the terrorists were sponsored and trained by "a foreign regime."

Iran holds regional terror sponsors and their US masters accountable for such attacks.

The carnage has claimed the lives of up to 25 people, Iran's state-run Irna news agency says, adding that some 60 people were wounded.

An Iranian military spokesman, brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, later added echoed Zarif's view, noting that the terrorists might also be trained by Israeli intelligence.

"They are not from Daesh [Islamic State, IS, formerly ISIS] or other groups fighting [Iran's] Islamic system ... but they are linked to America and [Israel's spy agency] Mossad," Shekarchi claimed as cited by Reuters. He presented no details, however, to back the claim.

Update 2: Al-Masdar News further reports:

Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for Khuzestan Province Hassan Shahvarpour announced that a "four-strong terrorist team" were responsible for the attack earlier in the day in Ahvaz, capital of the southwestern Khuzestan province, on Saturday, that killed at least 24 and left 59 wounded.

"A four-strong terrorist team in disguise attacked the parading column from a pretty close range, where there is a forest park," stated Shahvarpour, adding that "three of these [terrorists] were killed. Two were killed on the spot and one had sustained injured and they took them to hospital where he died. A fourth person was arrested."