[ad_1]
AHVAZ, Iran – Iranians held Monday funeral for victims of weekend terror attack on a military parade in Ahvaz, southwestern city who killed 25 people, the most deadly attack in the country for nearly ten years. Saturday's attack on Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan province, has been blamed on Arab separatists in Iran who, according to the Iranian authorities, are being supported by the Americans.
The current commander of the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guards said at the funeral that the Islamic Republic would take revenge on the United States and some of its biggest regional allies for violence.
At least 60 others were wounded in Saturday's attack when militants disguised as soldiers opened fire on soldiers and spectators.
The attack has again shaken Iran, already facing turmoil following the US withdrawal from Tehran's nuclear deal with the world powers and additional sanctions in the United States which are due in November.
On Monday, thousands of people gathered at the Sarallah Mosque at the Ahvaz junction in Taleghani, carrying coffins in the sweltering heat.
Others, mainly young people wearing ethnic clothing from the region's Arab minority, photographed large images of those who were killed during the attack. Of the 25 dead, 12 people were from Ahvaz and the rest came from elsewhere in Khuzestan.
The procession descended the streets Naderi and Zand, many crying and beating the chest, a traditional way to show their sorrow. The weeping men played drums, cymbals and horns, according to local custom.
The crowd also chanted slogans of "Death to U.S." and "Death to Israel" – basic songs at Iranian political rallies.
Cries and moans erupted when the coffin of a local hero, 54-year-old Hossein Monjazi, disabled veteran and member of the Revolutionary Guards who had lost a leg and a hand in the Iraq-Iran war of the 1980s, was revealed.
Monjazi was in the wheelchair watching the parade when the gunshots exploded and was unable to find shelter from the hail of bullets.
Hossein Salami, acting commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, attends a public funeral ceremony for those killed during an attack at a military parade in the Iranian city of Ahvaz , in the southwest of the country, September 24, 2018.
Getty
Speaking at the funeral, the acting commander of the Revolutionary Guards, General Hossein Salami, vowed revenge on the perpetrators of the attack and what he called the "triangle" between Saudi Arabia, Israel and the United States.
"You are responsible for these actions, you will suffer the consequences," said the general. "We warn all those behind the story, we will take revenge."
Mahmoud Falaki, a funeral teacher, said the ceremony showed that Iranians "are always ready to sacrifice for our country, terrorists are a band of cowards".
"Just look at the crowd, without fear, people are gathered here to see their soldiers and their martyrs in paradise," said Ghaseem Farhani, a trader, another resident of Ahvaz.
Iranians carry the body of a victim during a public funeral ceremony for those killed during an attack at a military parade this weekend in the Iranian city of & # # # # # # # ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce Ahvaz, in the south-west of the country, September 24, 2018.
Getty
Arab separatists claimed the assault, in which members of the Guard and soldiers were among those who were killed or wounded. The Islamic State group also claimed responsibility for the attack, but provided no clear evidence of its aggression.
Four assailants were allegedly involved in the Ahvaz assault and all were killed as Iranian troops fought back during the attack and pursuit.
President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday accused a country in the region of the United States, whose name has not been identified, to support the perpetrators. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned Western diplomats, accusing them of providing shelters for Arab separatists responsible for the attacks.
Rouhani's remarks could refer to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates or Bahrain – close American military allies who see Iran as a regional threat to his support for militant groups across the Middle East .
"All the small mercenary countries that we see in this region are supported by the US It is the Americans who incite them and provide them with the means to commit these crimes," Rouhani said before leaving for the United States. American General Assembly in New York.
During Ahvaz 's Monday funeral, Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavai announced that many of the suspects involved in the attack had been identified and that "the majority of them were detained".
"We will punish the terrorists, one by one," he promised the crowd.
