Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has on Thursday blamed the United States and its allies for a suicide bombing attack in southeastern Iran that has led to the death of about 27 members of Iranian elite Revolutionary Guards, the country state-run TV reported.
According to Reuters news reports, the force has on Wednesday said a suicide bomber vehicle laden with an explosive had attacked a bus carrying and transporting members of the guards in Iranian province region of Sistan-Baluchestan.
Jaish al Adl (Army of Justice), a militant Sunni Muslim group, which has stated that it was seeking greater rights and good living conditions for ethnic minority Baluchis, claimed responsibility for the attack, media have reported.
Rouhani said: “The crime will remain as a ‘dirty stain’ in the black record of the main supporters of terrorism in the White House, Tel Aviv and their regional agents.”
Apart from Israel, the Iranian president did not mention the name of the regional states he believed were to be blamed. Mainly Shi’ite Muslim Iran does not recognize Israel, which is a key United States ally in the region and sees Tehran as posing an existential threat to its existence.
TV quoted supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying: “There is a link between this crime … and some regional and international spying and intelligence agencies.” He ordered immediate actions against perpetuated responsible for the bomber attack.
While reiterating warnings by a senior commander of the guards, Rouhani has said Iran was determined to provide justice to all perpetuated for one of the deadliest assaults ever against the Revolutionary Guards in recent years.