Iranian Cleric Slams US for Creating Terrorist Groups
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Tehran’s Provisional Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Kazem Seddiqi highlighted the US government’s role in recent deadly terror attacks in Tehran and said Washington is behind the emergence of terrorist groups, like Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL).
Addressing a large congregation of worshippers here in Tehran on Friday, Ayatollah Seddiqi offered his condolences over the deadly terrorist attacks on the parliament building and on the mausoleum of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini.
Terrorism has been created by the global arrogance and as Imam Khomeini has said, the US is “terrorist in nature”, the cleric noted.
“The world of disbelief (the US)… created al-Qaeda through Salafis and finally the Daesh, which is the essence of all evil deeds,” he said.
On Wednesday morning, five terrorists launched simultaneous attacks on Iran’s parliament building in downtown Tehran and on the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini, south of the city.
The assailants attacked the parliament buildings in the morning. Equipped with AK-47 assault rifles, handguns, grenades and suicide vests, the gunmen killed security guards and ordinary people before holding people hostage in the upper floors of the building.
They were all killed by the security forces after an operation that took several hours.
In the other attack at the shrine of Imam Khomeini, one suicide bomber blew himself up while the second one was killed in an exchange of gunfire.
The death toll from Wednesday's incidents in Tehran grew to 17, while more than 40 others have been wounded.