TEHRAN: Iran said on Thursday that the five Iranians who killed 17 people in twin attacks in Tehran were members of the militant Islamic State (IS) group who had been to its strongholds in Iraq and Syria.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hit back, meanwhile, at US President Donald Trump over what he called a “repugnant” statement that Iran was reaping what it had sowed.
“The five known terrorists... after joining the Daesh [IS] terrorist group, left the country and participated in crimes carried out by this terrorist group in Mosul and Raqa,” the intelligence ministry said in a statement.
Read more: World reactions to Iran attack
It suggested there were only five attackers rather than the six originally reported.
Supreme leader Khamenei shrugs off assaults
An official said previously that those who attacked the parliament complex had been dressed as women.
The ministry released their photographs and first names.
It said they were part of a network that entered Iran in July-August 2016 under the leadership of “high-ranking Daesh commander” Abu Aisha intending to carry out “terrorist operations in religious cities”.
Abu Aisha was killed and the network forced to flee the country, the statement said. It was unclear when the five men returned to Iran ahead of Wednesday’s attacks.
In a statement, Mr Trump said the United States would “grieve and pray” for the victims, but added: “We underscore that states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote.”
That statement was condemned by Mr Zarif, who tweeted: “Repugnant WH [White House] statement... as Iranians counter terror backed by US clients.”
Mr Trump was also criticised on social media by Iranians, who recalled their government’s offers of support and the candlelight vigils held in Iran after the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States.
IS has threatened to step up recruitment within Iran, releasing its first Persian-language video in March in which it threatened to “conquer Iran and restore it to the Sunni Muslim nation as it was before”.
In the midst of the unfolding attacks, the government said a third team had been stopped before the attacks began, but no further details were given.
“The network of this terrorist group has been identified and some of its members have been arrested,” said Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi. “We still cannot judge that Saudi Arabia has had a role in this terrorist incident,” he added.
Sunni Gulf Arab states are in the midst of a major diplomatic crisis after Saudi Arabia and its allies cut ties with Qatar on Monday over claims it supports extremism and has fewer tensions with Iran.
Iranian leaders sought to play down the attacks, with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saying: “These firecrackers that happened today will not have the slightest effect on the will of the people.”
Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2017
