Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has accused the United States and Israel for a suicide bombing that targeted its elite paramilitary Revolutionary Guard force in the country’s southeast on Wednesday, killing at least 27 members.
The force said on Wednesday a suicide bomber driving a vehicle laden with explosives had attacked a bus transporting members of the Guards in the province of Sistan-Baluchestan.
“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,” Mr Rouhani said.
Mainly Shi’ite Muslim Iran does not recognise Israel, which is a key US ally in the region and sees Tehran as posing an existential threat to its existence.
In the past, Tehran has accused its main regional rival Saudi Arabia of backing Sunni militia groups who have carried out bloody attacks against Iranian security forces. Riyadh has denied the charges.
Repeating warnings made by senior commanders of the Guards, Mr Rouhani said Iran was determined to bring justice to those responsible for one of the worst assaults ever against the Revolutionary Guards in years.