Iran warns US, Israel of revenge after parade attack

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The deputy head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned the US and Israeli leaders on Monday to expect a "devastating" response from Tehran, accusing them of involvement in an attack on a military parade in the city of Ahvaz.

"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 speech before the funeral of the victims broadcast live on the state television.

Thousands of people packed the streets of the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz to mourn the victims of Saturday's assault that killed 25 people, including 12 members of the elite Revolutionary Guards.

The coffins, wrapped in the flag of the Islamic Republic, were carried by the mourners. Many held pictures of a four-year-old boy killed in the attack.

Gulf tensions

Top Iranian leaders also blamed the US' Gulf Arab allies for the bloodshed that struck a blow at the heart of its security establishment.

The accusation will almost certainly antagonize Iran's regional foe Saudi Arabia. The oil superpowers are waging a war for influence across the Middle East, backing opposite sides in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon.

The United Arab Emirates, a close ally of Saudi Arabia and Washington, rejected Iranian allegations alluding to its involvement in the violence.

'Terrorists' to be punished

Speaking at the funeral ceremony, Defense Minister Amir Hatami warned the "terrorists" to expect the revenge of the Iranian nation.

The intelligence minister, Mahmoud Alavi, said a large network of suspects had already been arrested in connection with the attack, the judiciary's news agency Mizan reported.

Ahvaz National Resistance, an Iranian ethnic Arab opposition movement which seeks a separate state in oil-rich Khuzestan province, also claimed responsibility.

'Attack backed by US'

Senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have said the Ahvaz attack was carried out by militants trained by Gulf states and Israel, and backed by America.

It is unlikely the IRGC will strike any of these foes directly, reports said. The IRGC has an estimated 125,000-strong military with army, navy and air units.

The Guards could put on a show of strength by firing missiles at opposition groups operating in Iraq or Syria that may be linked to the militants who staged the attack.

Iran's Ground Force General Nozar Nemati was quoted as saying by Mizan news agency that "the agents behind this attack are identified and will be published at the appropriate time."

Source(s): Reuters