Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Tensions Between Some Tahoe Residents and Wildlife Workers Become Unbearable

18 hours ago

California Republican Leader Calls for ‘Two State Solution’ Amid Redistricting Fight

18 hours ago

Three Dead in Minneapolis Shooting, Including Shooter, Justice Department Official Says

20 hours ago

Israeli Tanks Close in on Gaza City, Trump to Chair Meeting

21 hours ago

Trump Says Soros and His Son Should Be Charged With RICO

21 hours ago

Wall Street Opens Muted in Countdown to Nvidia Earnings

21 hours ago

Fresno Leaders Voice ‘Full Support’ for Pismo’s Restaurant Manager in ICE Custody

2 days ago

Poll: Katie Porter Holds Early Edge in California Governor’s Race

2 days ago

Just 38% of Americans Support Trump’s Use of Troops to Police DC, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

2 days ago

California Farming Couple Seeks $300 Million for Aspen Estate

2 days ago
Wails, Vows of Revenge at Iran Funeral After Parade Attack
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 7 years ago on
September 24, 2018

Share

AHVAZ, Iran — Amid wails and vows of revenge, thousands of Iranians on Monday attended a mass funeral service for victims of a weekend attack targeting a military parade that killed at least 25 people.
The dead from Saturday’s attack in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, blamed on Arab separatists, ranged from a disabled war hero to a four-year-old boy. The assault killed members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard, including conscripts, wounded over 60 others and further ratcheted up tensions across the Persian Gulf ahead of this week’s United Nations General Assembly.
The father of 4-year-old victim Mohammad Taha lay atop his son’s flag-draped coffin sobbing, a public display of grief near the Sarallah Mosque in Ahvaz, the capital of Iran’s oil-rich province of Khuzestan.
Women in long black chadors held back tears while rhythmically striking their chests, a traditional way of showing grief. Mourners also played drums, cymbals and horns, according to local customs.
Of the 25 killed, 12 were from Ahvaz and the rest from elsewhere in Khuzestan.

Cries Of “Death to America” And “Death to Israel”

As crowds flowed down Ahvaz’s streets, cries of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” rose from the mourners. While a traditional chant in the years since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, they have taken on a new meaning as Iranian officials have blamed the U.S. and its regional allies for backing the separatists, who carried out the assault while disguised in military uniforms.

“You are responsible for these actions; you will face the repercussions. We warn all of those behind the story, we will take revenge.” — Gen. Hossein Salami, the Guard’s acting commander
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the attack showed Iran has “a lot of enemies,” according to remarks posted on his website, in which he linked the attackers to the U.S., Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“Definitely, we will harshly punish the operatives” behind the terror attack, he added.
Speaking at the funeral, the Guard’s acting commander, Gen. Hossein Salami, vowed revenge against the perpetrators and what he called the “triangle” of Saudi Arabia, Israel and the United States.
“You are responsible for these actions; you will face the repercussions,” the general said. “We warn all of those behind the story, we will take revenge.”
Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavai told the mourners that his agency had identified many suspects involved in the attack and “a majority of them were detained.” He did not elaborate.
“We will punish the terrorists, one by one,” he promised the crowd.

Arab Separatists Claimed the Attack

Saturday’s attack targeted one of many parades in Iran marking the start of the country’s long 1980s war with Iraq, part of a commemoration known as “Sacred Defense Week.” The attacks in Ahvaz sent women and children fleeing alongside the soldiers once marching in the parade.
Arab separatists in the region claimed the attack and Iranian officials have blamed them for the assault. The separatists accuse Iran’s Persian-dominated government of discriminating against its ethnic Arab minority. Khuzestan province also has seen recent protests over Iran’s nationwide drought, as well as economic protests.
President Hassan Rouhani has accused an unnamed U.S.-allied regional country of supporting the attackers. Iran’s Foreign Ministry also summoned Western diplomats and an envoy from the UAE, accusing them of allegedly providing havens for the Arab separatists.
Rouhani’s remarks could refer to Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Bahrain — close U.S. military allies that view Iran as a regional menace, in part because of its support for militant groups across the Middle East. Saudi-linked media immediately carried claims of responsibility by the separatists after the attack and have widely covered their previous attacks on oil pipelines.
The Islamic State group also claimed Saturday’s attack, initially offering incorrect information about it and later publishing a video of three men it identified as the attackers. The men in the video did not resemble images of two dead attackers published by Iranian media in the aftermath of the attack. Iranian officials say four men carried out the assault. Iranian state media has not acknowledged the IS claims.

Reeling in the Wake of the U.S. Re-Imposing Sanctions

The attack comes as Iran’s economy reels in the wake of the U.S. re-imposing sanctions lifted by Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. While Iran still complies with the accord, President Donald Trump withdrew America over the deal in part due to Tehran’s ballistic missile program, its “malign behavior” in the Mideast and its support of militant groups like Hezbollah.

“Just look at the crowd, with no fear, people are gathered here to see their soldiers and martyrs off to heaven.” — Ghaseem Farhani, Ahvaz resident
Iran’s national currency has gone from trading at 62,000 rials to one U.S. dollar to as much as 150,000. Economic protests and other demonstrations have spiked across Iran, putting new pressure on Rouhani’s government.
At Monday’s funeral, however, those attending rallied around the Iranian government and its soldiers. Cries and wails erupted at the sight of the casket of a local hero, 54-year-old Hossein Monjazi, a disabled war veteran and Revolutionary Guard member who had lost a leg and a hand in the Iraq-Iran war. A photo of his crumpled body out of his wheelchair after the attack shocked the country, as did the death of the four-year-old boy.
Mahmoud Falaki, a teacher attending the funerals, said the ceremony showed Iranians “are always ready to sacrifice ourselves for our country. The terrorists are a bunch of cowards.”
Another Ahvaz resident, Ghaseem Farhani, said: “Just look at the crowd, with no fear, people are gathered here to see their soldiers and martyrs off to heaven.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Israeli Official Accused of Nevada Sex Crime Ordered to Appear in Court via Zoom

DON'T MISS

Think You Can’t Afford College? Go Online and Get a CalKIDS Scholarship

DON'T MISS

US CDC Director Ousted Weeks Into Job

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Mario Garcia

DON'T MISS

Shooter Kills Two Minneapolis Schoolchildren in Church, Injures 17

DON'T MISS

Did Fresno Restaurateur Bobby Salazar Commit Arson? Feds Lay Out Their Case

DON'T MISS

Hanford Police Arrest Two Teens After Shootouts Leave 17-Year-Old Wounded

DON'T MISS

US CDC Director Being Ousted Weeks Into Job, Washington Post Reports

DON'T MISS

Israeli Foreign Minister Saar Says There Will Not Be a Palestinian State

DON'T MISS

All UN Security Council Members, Except US, Say Famine in Gaza Is ‘Man-Made Crisis’

UP NEXT

Israeli Foreign Minister Saar Says There Will Not Be a Palestinian State

UP NEXT

All UN Security Council Members, Except US, Say Famine in Gaza Is ‘Man-Made Crisis’

UP NEXT

Second-Highest Unemployment Rate Still In California

UP NEXT

Trump Holds Gaza Policy Meeting With Blair and Kushner, White House Official Says

UP NEXT

Planned Visit by US Envoy Sparks Protests in Southern Lebanon

UP NEXT

TikTok Owner ByteDance Sets Valuation at Over $330 Billion as Revenue Grows, Sources Say

UP NEXT

Israeli Tanks Close in on Gaza City, Trump to Chair Meeting

UP NEXT

Hamas Challenges Israeli Account of Gaza Hospital Casualties

UP NEXT

Poll: Californians Overwhelmingly Reject Trump’s Immigration Policies

UP NEXT

Leaked Audio Reveals Ex-Israeli Intelligence Chief Calling Gaza Deaths ‘Necessary’

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Mario Garcia

13 hours ago

Shooter Kills Two Minneapolis Schoolchildren in Church, Injures 17

13 hours ago

Did Fresno Restaurateur Bobby Salazar Commit Arson? Feds Lay Out Their Case

13 hours ago

Hanford Police Arrest Two Teens After Shootouts Leave 17-Year-Old Wounded

14 hours ago

US CDC Director Being Ousted Weeks Into Job, Washington Post Reports

14 hours ago

Israeli Foreign Minister Saar Says There Will Not Be a Palestinian State

14 hours ago

All UN Security Council Members, Except US, Say Famine in Gaza Is ‘Man-Made Crisis’

15 hours ago

Trump’s Tax Bill Expands 0% Capital Gains Eligibility in 2025

15 hours ago

Second-Highest Unemployment Rate Still In California

15 hours ago

Trump Holds Gaza Policy Meeting With Blair and Kushner, White House Official Says

15 hours ago

Israeli Official Accused of Nevada Sex Crime Ordered to Appear in Court via Zoom

An Israeli official accused of trying to meet a 15-year-old girl for sex outside Las Vegas has been ordered to appear via videolink next wee...

12 hours ago

The flag of the U.S. state Nevada is seen in this illustration taken, August 21, 2024. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration)
12 hours ago

Israeli Official Accused of Nevada Sex Crime Ordered to Appear in Court via Zoom

13 hours ago

Think You Can’t Afford College? Go Online and Get a CalKIDS Scholarship

Susan Monarez, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifies before a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 25, 2025. (Reuters File)
13 hours ago

US CDC Director Ousted Weeks Into Job

Mario Garcia is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for August 27, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
13 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Mario Garcia

Law enforcement use K-9 dogs to search a nearby neighborhood, after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. August 27, 2025. REUTERS/Tim Evans
13 hours ago

Shooter Kills Two Minneapolis Schoolchildren in Church, Injures 17

Bobby Salazar motorcycle gang fire restaurant Blackstone fresno insurance fraud
13 hours ago

Did Fresno Restaurateur Bobby Salazar Commit Arson? Feds Lay Out Their Case

A 17-year-old boy was shot and wounded in Hanford, and police arrested two juvenile suspects in connection with the shootings. (Hanford PD)
14 hours ago

Hanford Police Arrest Two Teens After Shootouts Leave 17-Year-Old Wounded

Susan Monarez, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifies before a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 25, 2025. (Reuters File)
14 hours ago

US CDC Director Being Ousted Weeks Into Job, Washington Post Reports

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend