Iran hints Saudis to blame
Revolutionary Guard says Saudi Arabia ‘constantly supports’ terrorists including ISIS
TEHRAN, Iran — Five of the men who launched an attack in the heart of Iran’s capital previously fought for Islamic State, the country’s Intelligence Ministry said Thursday, acknowledging the first such assault by the extremists in the Shiite country.
The attacks Wednesday on Iran’s parliament and the tomb of its revolutionary leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, killed at least 17 people and wounded more than 40, stunning its people.
The ministry issued a statement on its website with bloody pictures of the men’s corpses. It identified them by their first names only, saying they didn’t want to release their last names due to security and privacy concerns for their families.
It described them as “long affiliated with the Wahhabi,” an ultraconservative form of Sunni Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia. However, it stopped short of directly blaming the kingdom for the attack, though many in the country expressed suspicion Iran’s regional rival had a hand in the attack.
The men had left Iran to fight for the extremist group in Mosul, Iraq, as well as Raqqa, Syria — the group’s de facto capital — the ministry said. It said they returned to Iran in August under the command of an Islamic State leader and escaped when authorities initially broke up their extremist cell.
The ministry did not say how they were able to evade authorities. A woman suspected to be involved in the attack was arrested Wednesday.
Commuters in the Iranian capital noticed police on street corners and motorcycles, more than usual as dawn broke. That came after Mohammad Hossein Zolfaghari, a deputy Interior Minister, told state TV that “law enforcement activities may increase.”
The state-run IRNA news agency also reported Thursday that the death toll in the attacks had risen to 17 people killed, citing Ahmad Shojaei, the head of the country’s forensic centre.
The attack Wednesday as lawmakers held a session in parliament and at the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini shocked Iranians, who so far had avoided the chaos that has followed Islamic State’s rise in Syria and Iraq. Iranian forces are backing embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad while the Shiite power also is supporting militias fighting the extremists in Iraq.
The attack came as emboldened Sunni Arab states — backed by U.S. President Donald Trump — are hardening their stance against Shiiteruled Iran.
The White House released a statement from Trump condemning the terrorist attacks in Tehran and offering condolences, but also implying that Iran is itself a sponsor of terrorism.
“We grieve and pray for the innocent victims of the terrorist attacks in Iran, and for the Iranian people, who are going through such challenging times,” the statement said. “We underscore that states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote.”
The comments sparked anger from Iranians on social media, who FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2017 recalled the vigils in Tehran that followed the Sept. 11 attacks. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a tweet on Thursday called the White House comments “repugnant” and accused the U.S. of supporting terror.
“Iranian people reject such U.S. claims of friendship,” Zarif tweeted.
Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard indirectly blamed Saudi Arabia for the attacks. A statement issued Wednesday evening stopped short of alleging direct Saudi involvement but called it “meaningful” that the attacks followed Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, where he strongly asserted Washington’s support for Riyadh.
The statement said Saudi Arabia “constantly supports” terrorists including Islamic State, adding that the Islamic State claim of responsibility “reveals (Saudi Arabia’s) hand in this barbaric action.”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, used the attacks to defend Tehran’s involvement in wars abroad. He told a group of students that if “Iran had not resisted,” it would have faced even more troubles.
“The Iranian nation will go forward,” he added.