This past Saturday, September 22nd, several gunmen killed nearly 25 people and wounded 60 others at a military parade in Iran. The attack occurred in Ahvaz, a refractory province in Iran in which the majority of the country’s Arab minority resides. The parade was meant to mark the anniversary of the war with Iraq which took place from 1980 through 1988, similar to Memorial day in the United States. Among the 25 dead and approximately 60 wounded, were members of the Revolutionary Guards Corps and civilian onlookers, some of which were children. It’s been reported that there were four gunmen, two of which were killed by security forces and two of which were captured. The Islamic State as well as an Arab separatist group, Al Ahwaz, have claimed responsibility for the attack, though the Iranian government is divided on who is truly to blame. Iran’s first vice president, Eshaq Jahangiri, has publicly blamed Al Ahwaz and discounted the Islamic State’s involvement. Additionally, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused the United States of involvement in the attack and conspiracy to “create instability within our beloved country”, through the Islamic Republic News Agency. Because of Iran’s predominantly Shia population, along with a Shia run government, they have dealt with various attacks from minority groups particularly Sunni extremists, though none as detrimental as the one on the 22nd. Iran is also surrounded by Sunni dominated states such as Saudi Arabia and Syria, with U.S. influence in Saudi Arabia as well as in Israel and Jordan. Consequently, the Iranian government is highly suspicious of U.S. activity in the region, and largely suspect them of involvement in terrorist attacks within their country. This attack has heightened the tension between Iran and the U.S., especially in the wake of the the Trump administration’s decision to pull out of the Iranian nuclear deal. It also adds to the numerous conflicts and chaos in the Middle East, especially the civil war in Yemen, which has become a proxy war between Iran (backing Shiite forces), and Saudi Arabia along with the United Arab Emirates (backing the Sunni-dominated government).
