Ahvaz military parade attack

Ahvaz military parade attack
Location	Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, Iran
Coordinates	31°20′8″N 48°38′38″E / 31.33556°N 48.64389°E / 31.33556; 48.64389
Date	22 September 2018 (2018-09-22) 09:00–09:10 (Iran Standard Time)
Attack type	Mass shooting
Deaths	30 (25 victims, 5 attackers)
Injured	70
Perpetrators	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (claimed responsibility)[1][2] Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz (initially claimed responsibility, later denied; accused by Iran)
No. of participants	5

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Site of attack

On 22 September 2018, a military parade was attacked by armed gunmen in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz.^[3][4] The shooters killed 25 people, including soldiers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and civilian bystanders.^[5] It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Iran since the Chabahar suicide bombing in December 2010.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack^[6] and released purported photos of the attackers.^[7] Iran blamed "militants in Syria"^[8] and claimed the "U.S. and the Gulf states enabled the attack" and vowed revenge.^[9] The American defence secretary dismissed Iran's threat and denied U.S. involvement, saying it was "ludicrous" for Iran to allege U.S. involvement.^[10] Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also rejected and condemned the accusation.^[11] A splinter group of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz initially claimed responsibility,^[12] but later denied involvement.^[13]

On 1 October 2018, in retaliation for the attacks, Iranian Revolutionary Guards fired missiles and carried out drone attacks in Abu Kamal of Syria targeting "militants in Syria it blamed for an attack", Sepah News reported.^[8]