Iran vows vengeance for mass shooting

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard vowed ‘‘deadly and unforgettable’’ vengeance yesterday for the mass shooting at a military parade as Iran’s president blamed US-backed insurgents for killing 25 people in a hail of bullets.

President Hassan Rouhani, pictured, accused the US of inciting an unnamed ally in the Persian Gulf to carry out the attack on Saturday in the southwestern city of

Ahvaz, in which four gunmen disguised in military garb opened fire and kill 12 Revolutionary Guardsmen as well as a number of spectators.

‘‘America is acting like a bully towards the rest of the world . . . and thinks it can act based on brute force,’’ said Rouhani, whose country is in the grips of a desperate economic situation brought on by sweeping US sanctions.

‘‘But our people will resist and the government is ready to confront America. We will overcome this situation and America will regret choosing the wrong path.’’

Rouhani is on a collision course with Donald Trump, whose decision to quit the 2015 nuclear deal is, to Rouhani’s mind, directly to blame for Iran’s financial crisis.

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, brushed off the accusations from Tehran, saying of Rouhani: ‘‘The thing he has to do is look in the mirror. ‘‘He’s got the Iranian people protesting. Every ounce of money goes into his military. He has oppressed his people for a long time. I think the Iranian people have had enough.’’

Yesterday morning, Iran summoned diplomats from the UK, the Netherlands and Denmark, accusing them of harbouring Iranian opposition groups. Rouhani then took to state television, declaring it ‘‘absolutely clear to us who has done this, which group it is and to whom they are affiliated’’, without naming the suspect.’’

– Telegraph Group