A suicide attacker struck a bus carrying members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, killing at least 20 personnel of the elite corps, the state-run Fars news agency reported Wednesday night, few days after the nation celebrated the 40th anniversary of 1979 Islamic Revolution.
According to local media, the incident took place in Chanali area in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province.
“A bus carrying a number of Islamic Republic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel was blown up by a suicide bombing operation in the Chanali area of Khash-Zahedan road,” IRNA news reported.
“Is it no coincidence that Iran is hit by terror on the very day that #WarsawCircus begins? Especially when cohorts of same terrorists cheer it from Warsaw streets & support it with twitter bots? US seems to always make the same wrong choices, but expect different results,” Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif said in reaction to the attack.
Jaish ul-Adl militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Back in October 2018, at least 29 people were killed and 70 others wounded in an attack on a military parade in Iran's southwestern city of Ahvaz.
Also in December of the same year, four Iranian policemen were killed and 42 other people were wounded in a suicide car bomb attack on a police headquarters in the country’s southeast.
The attack happened in Iran's port city of Chabahar which has been emerging as economic hub between the regional countries.
“Foreign-backed terrorists kill & wound innocents in Chabahar. As we've made clear in the past, such crimes won’t go unpunished: In 2010, our security services intercepted & captured extremists en route from UAE. Mark my words: Iran WILL bring terrorists & their masters to justice,” Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reacted in social media at the time.
Suicide bombings are rare in Iran where security is pretty stable.
In June 2017, gunmen and suicide bombers attacked Iran's parliament in central Tehran and the Mausoleum of founder of Islamic Revolution Guard Ayatollah Rohullah Khomeini killing at least 13 people.