Iran said yesterday that the five Iranians who killed 17 people in twin attacks in Tehran were Islamic State group members who had been to its strongholds in Iraq and Syria.
Reportedly two guards, 10 government staffers and five civilians were killed in the attacks that simultaneously targeted the country's parliament and shrine of late founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Scores of people were wounded.
The attacks were the first claimed by Islamic State inside tightly controlled Iran, one of the powers leading the fight against the militants in Iraq and Syria.
The attackers were identified as Iranians who joined ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the Iranian intelligence ministry said.
Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps blamed the assault on regional rival Saudi Arabia and has threatened revenge.
Publicly, the Iranian leadership has sought to cast blame for the attacks on its favorite targets: Saudi Arabia, the United States and Israel. He referred to comments last month by Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who accused Tehran of wanting to "control the Muslim world" and said the conflict should happen "inside Iran, not in Saudi Arabia".
Hammer-wielding man shot after attacking Paris cop
Police seal off the access to Notre Dame cathedral in Paris , France, Tuesday, June 6, 2017 . A man allegedly attacked a police officer with a hammer near the popular tourist destination.
Saudi Arabia has denied involvement, Reuters reports.
According to the AFP, in one part of the video, the narrator said, "Iran raised its slogans against the United States and Israel to deceive the Sunnis, while Iranian Jews live safely in Iran under its protection, and it has provided them with temples and churches as seen in Tehran and Isfahan". It was not clear when the five men returned to Iran ahead of Wednesday's attacks. In the view of the hardliners' critics, they are helping to drive alienated Sunnis toward militant groups. Trump said the USA would "grieve and pray" for the victims, but added: "We underscore that states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote". "We have everything at our disposal and enjoy a variety of options", said the Iranian commander, warning that "if anyone seeks to disrupt our national security, we won't leave him any safe spot".
"Let us tell the people of Iran that while we have serious disagreements with them on a number of issues, that today when they are mourning, when they are dealing with the shock of a terrorist attack, today is not the day to go forward with this piece of legislation", Sen.
On Friday, authorities announced the arrests of 41 suspects in connection with the twin Tehran attacks. Some pointed to comments in May by Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the son of the King Salman and the kingdom's defense minister, who said his country would "work so that it becomes a battle for them in Iran and not in Saudi Arabia".
The U.S. has designated Iran a state supporter of extremist acts since 1984.
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