Thousands mourn victims of Iran attack
September 24, 2018
Thousands of people went to the Sarallah mosque in the southwestern city of Ahvaz to pay their respects to the 24 victims of Saturday's attack on a military parade to mark the start of the Iran-Iraq war in 1980. It was Iran's deadliest terror attack in a decade.
Civilians and military staff were seen carrying coffins draped in the Iranian flag.
Mourners carried pictures of the dead along with banners reading "We will stand to the end" and "No to terrorism."
Many chanted "death to Israel and America," which Tehran sees as part of an alliance acting against Iran.
'Devastating' response
Meanwhile on Monday, the deputy head of Iran's elite military organization, the Revolutionary Guard, warned the US and its allies that Tehran was prepared to retaliate. "You have seen our revenge before. ... You will see that our response will be crushing and devastating and you will regret what you have done," Hossein Salami said in a televised speech before the funeral of the victims\.
Read more: Attack on Iranian military parade may harden domestic and regional policies
On Sunday, Iranian President Hasan Rouhani accused the US of instigating its allies in the Middle East to carry out the attack, which was claimed by the al-Ahvazieh militant group. He did not name any country in particular, but his remarks likely refer to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates or Bahrain.
Officials also accuse the UK, the Netherlands and Denmark of aiding terror, and their ambassadors have been summoned.
The German Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned the attack but warned that retaliation could lead to further escalation. The spokesperson also said no one from the German Embassy had been summoned by Tehran.
Read more: German firms lead exodus out of Iran
The latest row between the United States and Iran adds to already tense relations after US President Donald Trump decided to exit the 2015 international Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, and renewed US sanctions on the country.
ng/rt (AP, Reuters, AFP)