Page 8 - aruba today

A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 25 sepTember 2018

Wails, vows of revenge at Iran funeral after parade attack

By MOHSEN GANJI province also has seen re-
NASSER KARIMI cent protests over Iran's na-
Associated Press tionwide drought, as well
AHVAZ, Iran (AP) — Amid as economic protests.
wails and vows of revenge, President Hassan Rouhani
thousands of Iranians on has accused an unnamed
Monday attended a mass U.S.-allied regional country
funeral service for victims of of supporting the attackers.
a weekend attack target- Iran's Foreign Ministry also
ing a military parade that summoned Western diplo-
killed at least 25 people. mats and an envoy from
The dead from Saturday's the UAE, accusing them of
attack in the southwestern allegedly providing havens
city of Ahvaz, blamed on for the Arab separatists.
Arab separatists, ranged Rouhani's remarks could re-
from a disabled war hero fer to Saudi Arabia, the UAE
to a 4-year-old boy. The or Bahrain — close U.S. mili-
assault killed members tary allies that view Iran as
of Iran's elite Revolution- a regional menace, in part
ary Guard, including con- because of its support for
scripts, wounded over 60 militant groups across the
others and further ratch- Father of Mohammad Taha Eghadami, a 4-year-old boy who was killed in Saturday's terror attack Middle East. Saudi-linked
eted up tensions across the on a military parade, mourns over his coffin during a mass funeral ceremony for the victims, in media immediately carried
Persian Gulf ahead of this southwestern city of Ahvaz, Iran, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. claims of responsibility by
week's United Nations Gen- Associated Press the separatists after the at-
eral Assembly. tack and have widely cov-
The father of 4-year-old vic- U.S. and its regional allies those behind the story, we detained 22 suspects linked ered their previous attacks
tim Mohammad Taha lay for backing the separatists, will take revenge." to the group behind the at- on oil pipelines. The Islamic
atop his son's flag-draped who carried out the assault In the U.S., Defense Sec- tack and confiscated am- State group also claimed
coffin sobbing, a public while disguised in military retary Jim Mattis noted to munition and communica- Saturday's attack, initially
display of grief near the uniforms. reporters that the Trump tion equipment. The semi- offering incorrect informa-
Sarallah Mosque in Ahvaz, Supreme Leader Ayatollah administration had con- official Fars news agency tion about it and later pub-
the capital of Iran's oil-rich Ali Khamenei said the at- demned the attack. "It's reported that five militants lishing a video of three men
province of Khuzestan. tack showed Iran has "a lot ludicrous to allege that we took part in the assault, all it identified as the attack-
Women in long black of enemies," according to might have had anything of whom were killed. It said ers. The men in the video
chadors held back tears remarks posted on his web- to do with it," he said. two of them were brothers. did not resemble images of
while rhythmically strik- site, in which he linked the Mattis also said he wasn't Saturday's attack targeted two dead attackers pub-
ing their chests, a tradi- attackers to the U.S., Sau- concerned by Iranian one of many parades in lished by Iranian media in
tional way of showing di Arabia and the United talk of revenge. "We've Iran marking the start of the the aftermath of the at-
grief. Mourners also played Arab Emirates. been very clear that they country's long 1980s war tack. Iranian state media
drums, cymbals and horns, "Definitely, we will harshly shouldn't take us on like with Iraq, part of a com- have not acknowledged
according to local cus- punish the operatives" be- that, and I'm hopeful that memoration known as "Sa- the IS claims. The attack
toms. hind the terror attack, he cooler, wiser heads will pre- cred Defense Week." The comes as Iran's economy
Of the 25 killed, 12 were from added. vail," he said. attacks in Ahvaz sent wom- reels in the wake of the U.S.
Ahvaz and the rest from Speaking at the funeral, Intelligence Minister Mah- en and children fleeing re-imposing sanctions lifted
elsewhere in Khuzestan. the Guard's acting com- moud Alavai told the alongside the soldiers once by Tehran's nuclear deal
As crowds flowed down Ah- mander, Gen. Hossein Sala- mourners that his agency marching in the parade. with world powers. While
vaz's streets, cries of "Death mi, vowed revenge against had identified many sus- Arab separatists in the re- Iran still complies with the
to America" and "Death to the perpetrators and what pects involved in the at- gion claimed the attack accord, President Donald
Israel" rose from the mourn- he called the "triangle" of tack and "a majority of and Iranian officials have Trump withdrew America
ers. While a traditional Saudi Arabia, Israel and the them were detained." blamed them for the as- over the deal in part due to
chant in the years since United States. "We will punish the terrorists, sault. The separatists ac- Tehran's ballistic missile pro-
Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolu- "You are responsible for one by one," he promised cuse Iran's Persian-dominat- gram, its "malign behavior"
tion, they have taken on these actions; you will face the crowd. ed government of discrimi- in the Mideast and its sup-
a new meaning as Iranian the repercussions," the gen- State TV reported late Mon- nating against its ethnic port of militant groups like
officials have blamed the eral said. "We warn all of day that authorities have Arab minority. Khuzestan Hezbollah.q