On Saturday, a terrorist attack at a military parade in Ahvaz, Iran killed at least 29 individuals, around five dozen others injured, many seriously, military personnel and innocent civilians targeted.
Mostly civilians were harmed, including women and children, the death toll likely to rise.
The terrorist attack was reportedly carried out from outside the parade perimeter – from a park overlooking the observation platform.
According to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman General Abolfazl Shekarchi, four terrorists were involved in the incident, affiliated with the anti-Iranian (Arab separatist) Al-Ahwaz group, three killed, the other arrested but died of his wounds.
Both Ahwaz and ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. Shekarchi said terrorists involved were trained by the US (the CIA and/or special forces) and Israel’s Mossad in two Persian Gulf states, likely Saudi Arabia and the UAE if the report is accurate – both countries militantly hostile toward Iran, along with Washington and Israel.
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei called the criminal assault “the continuation of plots” hatched by Washington and their regional partners in high crimes, aiming to cause chaos and destabilize Iran.
His senior advisor on international affairs Ali Akbar Velayati promised a strong response.
So did President Hassan Rouhani, saying the response will be “crushing,” adding parties involved in “providing these terrorists with propaganda and intelligence support must be held accountable.”
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran will respond “swiftly and decisively,” adding “(t)errorists recruited, trained, armed, and paid by a foreign regime have attacked Ahvaz. Children and journalists (are) among casualties.”
Iran holds “regional terror sponsors” and their “US (and Israeli) masters” responsible for the attack.
Ahead of parade day, the terrorists hid AK-47 assault rifles in a park along the parade route, said Shekarchi.
The incident lasted about 10 minutes, attackers wearing military uniforms, according to reports. The event commemorated the anniversary of the Iran/Iraq war, beginning on September 22, 1980 – continuing until August 20, 1988. (The Carter administration allegedly backed it covertly. War continued throughout most of Reagan’s tenure, ending in stalemate, hundreds of thousands killed on both sides, countless others injured).
Incidents like Saturday’s are well-planned in advance. The Trump, Netanyahu, and Saudi regimes were silent about it. come.
A Final Comment
In response to Saturday’s terrorist attack, Vladimir Putin said the following to Rouhani:
“Please accept the deepest condolences regarding the tragic consequences of the raid by terrorists in Ahvaz. We are appalled by this bloody crime,” adding:
“We expect that everyone involved will face a deserved punishment. 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.”
Syria’s Bashar al-Assad made similar comments to Rouhani, condemning “in the strongest terms this cowardly and criminal terrorist act,” adding:
“I would like to affirm once more to you and to the friendly Iranian people that we are with you with all the power we have against these terrorist acts…”
A supportive Hezbollah statement said
“(t)his crime is a direct response to the major victories achieved by the resistance front in the region.”
Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement denounced the “appalling” crime.
Two important political statements were made ahead of the attacks.
1. Ahead of the terrorist attack on Friday, Mike Pompeo warned the Islamic Republic, saying the Trump regime “will not let Iran get away with using a proxy force to attack an American interest. Iran will be held accountable for those incidents.”
Amply documented, Washington, NATO, Israel, the Saudis, and their imperial partners are the world’s leading state sponsors of terrorism. (Al Qaeda, ISISI, et al)
Iran, Russia, Syria and Hezbollah are its committed adversaries, wanting the scourge of terrorism combatted and eliminated.
2. Also on Friday, ahead of the Ahvaz terrorist attack, Iran’s Foreign Minister Zarif tweeted:
“It is true that there is a real threat to our region and to international peace and security. That threat is the Trump administration’s sense of entitlement to destabilize the world along with rogue accomplices in our region.”
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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected].
His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
