Ali Khamenei: The perpetrators of the Ahvaz attack are in the pockets of Saudi Arabia and the UAE

On Monday, October 2, the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, referred to the perpetrators of an attack on a military parade in Ahvaz as individuals whose hands, according to him, are 'in the pockets of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.' In a meeting with 'a group of medal-winning athletes from the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta,' he described the attack as 'cowardly.' According to the report from the Leader's website, he stated, 'Based on reports, this cowardly act is the work of those individuals who, whenever they are caught in Syria and Iraq, are rescued by the Americans, and their hands are in the pockets of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.' Ayatollah Khamenei threatened that 'we will certainly give a severe reprimand to the perpetrators of this action.' On Saturday, the Leader had also described the attack on the armed forces' parade in Ahvaz as 'a continuation of the plot' by what he termed 'the American puppet governments in the region,' which aim to create insecurity in Iran. A day before these remarks, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran had accused Saudi Arabia of being involved in the Ahvaz attack and warned that if the country did not 'correct' its behavior and 'apologize,' the armed forces of the Islamic Republic would reserve the right to respond decisively 'at any time and place.' The Iranian Foreign Ministry had also accused 'regional governments' and foreign governments of being involved in the attack on the Iranian armed forces' parade in Ahvaz without providing evidence. The United States and the UAE have denied Iran's claims regarding involvement in the Ahvaz attack. The 'Arab Liberation Movement of Ahvaz' and the Islamic State (ISIS) simultaneously claimed responsibility for the Ahvaz attack. The Islamic State group published a video on its 'Amaq' site, claiming to show images and statements from three attackers out of the four involved in the military parade attack in Ahvaz. Iranian officials announced that the four armed attackers in Ahvaz were killed in response by the military present at the scene. Meanwhile, the Iranian Minister of Intelligence stated that 'the majority of the perpetrators' of the attack on the Iranian armed forces' parade in Ahvaz have been arrested. Mahmoud Alavi said on Monday at the funeral of the victims of this attack that the perpetrators of this attack have been killed and 'their backers will be identified and arrested down to the last person.' Mr. Alavi did not provide information about the individuals who he claimed have been arrested. Nozar Nemat, the deputy commander of the Army's Ground Forces, also stated on Monday that 'all the perpetrators of this incident have been identified and will certainly face a heavy reprimand in due time.' Abolfazl Abedini, a journalist based in Ahvaz, had published the 'identity' of the four perpetrators of the Ahvaz attack on Twitter on Sunday. No official has commented on the identity of the attackers yet. Additionally, the video released on the 'Amaq' site affiliated with ISIS does not provide any information about the fourth individual who is said to have been involved in this attack. Meanwhile, Abolfazl Hassanbeigi, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament, stated that the fourth individual 'was killed in the hospital' and 'had documents indicating that they were supported by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.' Mr. Hassanbeigi did not refer to the details of these alleged documents.