Iran lawmaker says negligence led to parade attack

Published September 29, 2018
A Iranian soldier carrying an injured comrade at the scene of an attack on a military parade on September 22. — AFP/File
A Iranian soldier carrying an injured comrade at the scene of an attack on a military parade on September 22. — AFP/File

A prominent Iranian lawmaker said an attack on a military parade in the southwestern city of Ahvaz that killed 24 people was the result of negligence by security forces, semi-official ISNA news agency reported on Saturday.

The report quoted the head of Iran's parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, as saying a video shot by the intelligence ministry and the army makes this clear.

"The cameraman begged a sniper to shoot the attackers, but the sniper waited for his commander's order," he said, describing the video.

About 92 lawmakers and the intelligence and interior ministers reviewed the video of last Saturday's attack.

"There were eight or nine snipers who were easily able to kill the terrorists in 30 seconds," Falahatpisheh said.

He said one sniper did not at first believe an attack was taking place, but when he saw people were being killed he still did not shoot, saying he didn't get an order to fire.

Falahatpisheh said some of the wounded in the attack had experience fighting the militant Islamic State group in Syria and if they had been armed, they could have prevented the tragedy.

Militants disguised as soldiers opened fire on an annual Iranian military parade in the country's oil-rich southwest, killing 24 people and wounding over 60 in the deadliest terror attack to strike the country in nearly a decade.

Opinion

A long week

A long week

There’s some wariness about the excitement surrounding this moment of international glory.

Editorial

Unlearnt lessons
Updated 28 Apr, 2026

Unlearnt lessons

THE US is undoubtedly the world’s top military and economic power at this time. Yet as the Iran quagmire has ...
Solar vision?
28 Apr, 2026

Solar vision?

THE recent imposition of certain regulatory requirements for small-scale solar systems, followed by the reversal of...
Breaking malaria’s grip
28 Apr, 2026

Breaking malaria’s grip

FOR the first time in decades, defeating malaria in our lifetime is possible, according to WHO. Yet in Pakistan,...
Pathways to peace
Updated 27 Apr, 2026

Pathways to peace

NEGOTIATIONS to hammer out the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement took nearly two years before a breakthrough was achieved....
Food-insecure nation
27 Apr, 2026

Food-insecure nation

A NEW UN-backed report has listed Pakistan among 10 countries where acute food insecurity is most concentrated. This...
Migration toll
27 Apr, 2026

Migration toll

THE world should not be deceived by a global migration count lower than the highest annual statistics on record —...