The death toll in the Iran military parade attack has risen to 24 (update: 29), according to the Iranian state news agency IRNA.
State media said gunmen opened fire at the event in the southwest city of Ahvaz on September 22.
State television said the assault targeted a stand where Iranian officials were gathered to watch an annual event marking the start of the country’s 1980-88 war with Iraq.
An anti-government ethnic Arab group has taken responsibility in an interview with Radio Farda.
Yaghub Hur Totsari, spokesman for one of the two groups that identify themselves as the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz, said the Ahvaz National Resistance, an umbrella organization of all armed movements.
He said that this was an act against “the oppression” of the Iranian government.
UPDATE
Reports said unknown gunmen opened fire on people from behind the stand during the parade on Saturday. https://t.co/qKmmEkyclu#Iran #MilitaryParade #Ahvaz pic.twitter.com/vH8sykZ2sL— Press TV (@PressTV) September 22, 2018
An Iranian military spokesman claimed the gunmen were trained by two Gulf Arab states and had ties to the United States and Israel.
“These terrorists… were trained and organised by two … Gulf countries,” Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi told the official news agency IRNA.
“They are not from Daesh (Islamic State) or other groups fighting (Iran’s) Islamic system … but they are linked to America and (Israel’s intelligence agency) Mossad.”
Scenes today in Iran's southwestern city of Ahvaz after gunmen reportedly attacked a military parade. MORE: https://t.co/cCKb0XZ6Fm pic.twitter.com/Rc3nnFSxhr
— Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (@RFERL) September 22, 2018
There were conflicting reports on the number killed in the attack.
UPDATE
Live video captures the moment of #Ahvaz terrorist shooting https://t.co/qKmmEkyclu#IranMilitaryParade pic.twitter.com/KmpfvnbOGx— Press TV (@PressTV) September 22, 2018
The official IRNA news agency said three people were killed, including two attackers. The semiofficial Tasnim news agency said at least eight members of the elite Revolutionary Guards had been killed.
IRNA said two alleged attackers had been detained.
Earlier, IRNA said a woman and a child were wounded in the attack.
Earlier reports described the attackers as “Takfiri gunmen,” a term used in the past to describe Sunni Muslim militants.
The semiofficial Fars news agency said two gunmen on a motorcycle wearing khaki uniforms carried out the attack.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter that the attackers were “terrorists recruited, trained, armed and paid by a foreign regime,” but did not elaborate.
Terrorists recruited, trained, armed & paid by a foreign regime have attacked Ahvaz. Children and journos among casualties. Iran holds regional terror sponsors and their US masters accountable for such attacks. Iran will respond swiftly and decisively in defense of Iranian lives. pic.twitter.com/WG1J1wgVD9
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) September 22, 2018
He blamed regional countries and their “US masters” for the attack, adding that Iran would respond “swiftly and decisively.
Ahvaz is the capital of Iran’s oil-rich Khuzestan Province. The province in the past has seen Arab separatists attack oil pipelines.
ISNA said an unnamed spokesman for the elite Revolutionary Guards security force blamed Arab nationalists backed by Saudi Arabia for the attack.
Tensions between traditional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia have increased in recent years, with the two countries supporting opposite sides in wars in Syria and Yemen and rival political parties in Iraq and Lebanon.
Attacks on the military are rare in Iran.
Last year, in the first deadly attack claimed by Islamic State in Tehran, 18 people were killed at the parliament and at the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder and first leader of the Islamic Republic.
Updates & Photos:
3:33 PM PT: Announcing the attack before carrying it out
The "Al-Ahvaz" separatist group—which carried out the terrorist attack in #Ahvaz today—signaled the looming attack 13 hours before it was carried out with a Tweet from its (seemingly) official account:
"Al-Ahvaz will create a challenge for the Iranian occupiers with an attack" https://t.co/bJOcZJtDi5
— Sina Toossi (@SinaToossi) September 22, 2018
3:32 PM PT: Youngest victim of the Ahvaz terror attack:
This is a photo published by local media of Táha Eqdámi, the youngest victim of the terrorist attack in the Iranian city of #Ahvaz.
He was 4 and was supposed to go to kindergarten the next day. #IranTerrorAttack @ap @tparsi @presstv @hispantv pic.twitter.com/XZzKd4U63Y— David Moslehi (@persophile) September 22, 2018
3:27 PM PT: After attack in Iran, the U.S. offers a muted response (WashPo analysis)
3:10 PM PT: Ahvaz Parade Attack Terrorists Trained In Two Persian Gulf Littoral States
3:01 PM PT: Turkey offers condolences after terror attack kills, injures dozens in Iran
3:00 PM PT: UK minister Alistair Burt condemns Ahvaz terror attack
12:31 PM PT: White House National Security Council issues statement
Make no mistake: By saying that it “encourages the regime in Tehran to focus on keeping [Iranians] safe at home,” the Trump NSC is blaming the #Ahvaz terror attack in Iran itself.
This is not the language the US ever uses when it comments on terrorist attacks elsewhere.
— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) September 22, 2018
WH NSC issues a statement on the #TerroristAttack in #Iran which does not talk about the attack nor does it directly condemn it: Garrett Marquis: “The United States stands with the Iranian people and encourages the regime in Tehran to focus on keeping them safe at home.”
— Bahman Kalbasi (@BahmanKalbasi) September 22, 2018
9:55 AM PT: Silence.
Hours have passed since the terrorist attack in my birth town of #Ahvaz killed 29 people. And still not a peep out of Donald Trump. No condemnation, not even thoughts and prayers. Nothing.
— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) September 22, 2018
9:34 AM PT: Iran’s Khamenei says attack on military parade is linked to U.S. allies via Reuters
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that an attack on a military parade in southwestern Iran was linked to the United States’ “allies in the region” and ordered security forces to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“This crime is a continuation of the plots of the regional states that are puppets of the United States, and their goal is to create insecurity in our dear country,” Khamenei said in a statement published on his website.
He did not name the states, but U.S. allies in the region include Iran’s arch-foe Israel and also the Arab Gulf states, especially Saudi Arabia.
9:32 AM PT: Survivor
Another Legitimate target of #AhvazTerrorAttack, which most of mainstream media and news corporations refuse to adress as terrorism #ahwaz #IranMilitaryParade #iran #AhvazAttack https://t.co/7vv6NRAYek
— 🇮🇷 Hamed vaghar 🌱 (@VagharHamed) September 22, 2018
8:30 AM PT: Condemnations by NIAC and the Iranian Canadian Congress
We condemn the recent act of terror in Ahvaz: https://t.co/eQBUKPnn3K
— NIAC (@NIACouncil) September 22, 2018
The ICC condemns the terrorist attack in Ahvaz carried out by a group called Al-Ahvazi. Our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish speedy recovery for those injured.
حمله تروریستی در اهواز را محکوم میکنیم#PrayForAhvaz#اهواز_تسلیتhttps://t.co/2aKStkRJFW— Iranian Canadian Congress (@ICCongress) September 22, 2018
8:14 AM PT: Oman condemns terror attack on military parade in Iran via Oman Daily Observer
8:08 AM PT: Iranian Army Spokesman: Ahvaz Military Parade Attackers Linked To US, Israel
Iranian Army Spokesman: Ahvaz Military Parade Attackers Linked To US, Israel
7:54 AM PT: One of the victims was a war vet in a wheelchair
One of the martyrs of the terrorist attack today in #IranMIlitaryParade was a #Veteran of #Iran-Iraq War who was sitting in a wheelchair and couldn't lie down#Veterans #VeteransAffairs #اهواز #QAnon #Tehran #تهران #اهواز_تسلیت #TerroristAttack #Terroristspic.twitter.com/7RIoMOUEz2 https://t.co/J0k6Li9C23
— Antibullshitinme (@Antibullshit12) September 22, 2018
7:45 AM PT: Death toll climbs to 29. 60 injured. Via Al Arabiya
7:36 AM PT: How Western media is covering this heinous act of terror
Major media outlets not using the word “terrorism” to describe an attack on a parade in which children were killed because it happened in Iran. pic.twitter.com/dmuOrsQxWy
— Arash Karami (@thekarami) September 22, 2018
29 now. 4 year old boy among them. https://t.co/ONlDRxlefn
— Bahman Kalbasi (@BahmanKalbasi) September 22, 2018
It was, in fact and by definition, terrorism. Why is this even being debated? #IranMilitaryParade
— GaucheNews ❄️ (@GaucheNews) September 22, 2018
Facebook & Twitter delete Iranian accounts accusing them of propaganda but leader of pro-Saudi terror group that attacked #Ahvaz today is promoting his terrorism on his Twitter-verified account. pic.twitter.com/KDYtx4ZLKD
— Ali Ahmadi (@AliAhmadi_Iran) September 22, 2018
7:34 AM PT: Iranians rallying to support victims
People lining up in #Ahvaz to donate blood for victims of today’s terrorist attack. #iran https://t.co/x0N9fmDr12
— Eskandar Sadeghi 🌹 (@EskandarSadeghi) September 22, 2018
7:32 AM PT: Who was responsible?
#Saudi strongman Prince Salman is a man of his word. Last year he warned that he would support attacks on #Iran: "We will work so that the battle is on their side, inside #Iran." Today Saudi-sponsored gunmen attacked a parade in #Ahvaz, killing 24. https://t.co/b0ppAvLq8h
— Stephen Kinzer (@stephenkinzer) September 22, 2018
A spokesman for al-Ahvaz, a separatist group that has long been accused of ties with US allies in the region, took responsibility before ISIS and had its spokesperson call live programming of a London based TV to say they were behind this terrorist attack. https://t.co/iDQRzjlW0N
— Bahman Kalbasi (@BahmanKalbasi) September 22, 2018
Islamic State claims Iran military parade attack, no evidence providedhttps://t.co/G9DooTN77t#ISIS #Daesh #IranMilitaryParade #IranAttack
— Bob Jackson (@1st_infantry) September 22, 2018
BREAKING: Daesh claims responsibility for #IranMilitaryParade attack https://t.co/TepfEkMaXh pic.twitter.com/i7s8Amaio2
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) September 22, 2018
7:25 AM PT: “A four-year-old girl and a wheelchair-bound war veteran were among the dead.” Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior spokesman for Iran’s armed forces told state television.
7:24 AM PT: “The attacks are doubtlessly meant to tarnish the prestige of the IRGC, but I believe the terrorist incidents will strengthen the IRGC’s standing and even mobilize some public support,” said Ali Alfoneh, senior fellow at the Washington-based Gulf Arab States Institute.
7:22 AM PT: “Rouhani will use the terrorist attack to justify Iran’s presence in the Middle East…The attack will strengthen the IRGC’s position inside Iran and in the region,” Tehran-based political analyst Hamid Farahvashian said, according to Reuters.
7:12 AM PT: Russia Ready to Help Iran against Terrorism, Putin Says after Ahvaz Parade Attack – via Radio Farda and Tasnim News
President Putin voiced his country’s preparedness to assist Iran in the war against terrorism a few hours after a terrorist attack on a military parade in Iran’s southwestern city of Ahvaz.
“Please accept the deepest condolences regarding the tragic consequences of the raid by terrorists in Ahvaz. We are appalled by this bloody crime,” Putin wrote to Rouhani, according to the text of the telegram posted on the Kremlin website.
“We expect that everyone involved will face a deserved punishment,” Putin said. “This event once again reminds us about the necessity of an uncompromising battle against terrorism in all of its manifestations. I would like to confirm our readiness to continue building cooperation with Iranian partners in resisting this evil.”
6:59 AM PT: Iran says military parade attackers trained by two Gulf states – via Middle East Monitor
An Iranian military spokesman said the gunmen who on Saturday attacked a military parade in the southwestern city of Ahvaz were trained by two Gulf Arab states and had ties to the United States and Israel, Reuters reports.
“These terrorists… were trained and organised by two … Gulf countries,” Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi told the official news agency IRNA.
“They are not from Daesh (Islamic State) or other groups fighting (Iran’s) Islamic system … but they are linked to America and (Israel’s intelligence agency) Mossad.”
Iranian authorities “temporarily” shut down two border crossings with Iraq, according to an Iraqi customs official.
6:49 AM PT: Iran’s President Holds ‘Sponsors of Terrorists’ Accountable for Parade Attack – via Tasnim News
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani ordered the intelligence forces to capture perpetrators of a Saturday terrorist attack on a parade in Ahvaz, warning of Iran’s “crushing response” and pointing the finger at those providing intelligence support for terrorists.
Rouhani was briefed on the latest developments in the wake of this morning’s terrorist attack on a military parade in Ahvaz during telephone conversations with Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli and with Governor of Khuzestan Gholamreza Shariati.
Expressing sympathy with the families of victims of the fatal attack, the president ordered the Intelligence Ministry to mobilize all units to immediately detect the terrorists behind the attack and their links for a “decisive and exemplary” punishment.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s response to the merest threat will be crushing,” he underlined.
Rouhani also held those providing “propaganda and intelligence support” for the terrorists accountable for the attack.
During the military parade in Ahvaz on Saturday morning, Takfiri militants opened fired on military officials and ordinary people in the event. At least 25 people have died and 60 others injured in the terrorist attack.
A senior spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces said four terrorists were involved in the attack, noting that they had hidden their rifles in the parade venue beforehand.
Pictures and video added by The Iranian

A photojournalist takes a photo as she hits the dirt after an armed attack targeting a military march in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahwaz on September 22, 2018. At least eight members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards were killed and 20 people injured. ( Mehdi Pedramkhoo – Anadolu Agency )

Iranian security forces take security measures after an armed attack targeting a military march in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahwaz on September 22, 2018. At least eight members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards were killed and 20 people injured. ( Mehdi Pedramkhoo – Anadolu Agency )

People run away from the street after an armed attack targeting a military march in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahwaz on September 22, 2018. ( Mehdi Pedramkhoo – Anadolu Agency )

Blood can be seen on the street after gunmen opened fire on a military parade in Ahvaz.

The attackers tried to shoot military officers on the podium

At least one child was injured in the attack

Soldiers ducked for cover as shots were fired
#Terrorist attack reported in #military parade in #Ahvaz, southwest of #Iran. Casualties are expected but no number of dead and wounded have been reported so far. pic.twitter.com/NJD8o3MkjO
— First Squawk (@FirstSquawk) September 22, 2018