Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic Describes ISIS Attacks in Tehran as 'Fireworks'

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in his first reaction to the 'ISIS attacks' in Tehran, referred to these actions as 'fireworks' and stated: 'The Iranian nation is moving forward; these fireworks that occurred today will not affect the will of the people.' According to the Islamic Republic's leader's website, he added during an iftar ceremony with a group of students on Wednesday, June 7, 'Everyone should know; they are too small to have any impact on the will of the Iranian nation and the officials of the country.' He further stated, 'If the Islamic Republic had not stood firm at the point that is the main center of these seditions, we would have had many problems from this area within the country by now. God willing, these will be resolved.' It seems his reference is to the Syrian civil war, which the Islamic Republic views as a battleground between 'terrorist and Takfiri groups' and the government of Bashar al-Assad. Hours after the summary of the Iranian leader's remarks was published, his website removed the term 'fireworks' from the text of Ayatollah Khamenei's statements. Iran supports the Damascus regime, and the Supreme Leader has repeatedly stated that if we did not fight in Syria, we would have to fight them in the streets of Iran. On Wednesday, June 7, two teams of armed individuals attacked the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the tomb of Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran, resulting in 13 martyrs and 43 injured, according to the latest statistics from Hossein Zolfaqari, the Deputy Minister of Interior for Security and Police. Zolfaqari reported that the deceased were primarily visitors and some employees of the representatives' offices, and one security officer was also killed. He also mentioned that in connection with this attack, 'in one or two locations that we will announce later, suspicious individuals have been arrested, and the matter is under investigation.' According to IRIB News Agency, Hossein Sajjadi-Nia, the Chief of Police of Tehran, stated that in relation to the explosion at the tomb of Ruhollah Khomeini, 'a woman who collaborated with two suicide bombers and five other suspects have been arrested and are in the custody of security police.' Concurrently with the Supreme Leader's remarks, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, issued a statement calling the attacks on Wednesday in Tehran 'blind and cowardly actions' and said that this was not an unexpected incident. Rouhani described the perpetrators as 'malicious actors' who, according to him, want to hide their regional failures and the discontent of their societies with such actions. According to ILNA, after this event, Rouhani referred to Iran as 'the safest country in the heart of a turbulent region' and spoke of 'the unprecedented presence of the nation at the ballot boxes' in Iran, stating that 'the malicious actors of Islamic Iran cannot tolerate these honors and the solidarity of the government, state, and nation and will try to hide their regional failures, the collapse of Islamic values, and the discontent of their societies by hiring and supporting rigid and Takfiri elements.' The Iranian President added that 'it is clear that the forces, agencies, and security institutions of the country will not rest until all aspects of these cowardly actions and their known and hidden supporters are clarified.' On Wednesday, Mohammad-Hossein Naja, the Deputy of the IRGC Intelligence Organization, accused the Saudi Arabian government and the United States of having 'ordered their mercenaries' to 'carry out this act,' and Rouhani's remarks about 'malicious actors' wanting to hide their 'regional failures' may also point in this direction. Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also issued a statement that day, calling Saudi officials 'the leaders of one of the reactionary governments in the region' that are constantly supporting Takfiri terrorists and threatened to take revenge on those responsible for the Tehran attacks. The Shiite government of Iran and the Sunni government of Saudi Arabia have been engaged in increasing regional rivalry and tension for some time, which is reflected in the battles between the two countries' proxy groups in the region. Rouhani continued his message on Wednesday, stating that 'undoubtedly, today's terrorist incidents in Tehran will further strengthen the will of Islamic Iran in the fight against regional terrorism, extremism, and violence. Iran's message, as always, is that terrorism is a common problem, and unity to combat extremism, violence, and terrorism through regional and international cooperation is the most important need of today's global society.' He added, 'It is obvious that the forces, agencies, and security institutions of the country will not rest until all aspects of these cowardly actions and their known and hidden supporters are clarified.' The Public Relations Office of the Parliament; Reaction of the Speaker of the Parliament According to the House of Representatives News Agency, the Public Relations Office of the Islamic Consultative Assembly explained the incident on Wednesday in a statement: 'Three terrorists entered the Islamic Consultative Assembly around 10 AM in a blind operation with firearms from the public entrance and opened fire on several people who had come to meet their representatives, which was met with decisive action from the protective forces of the IRGC and the police force, and ultimately all three terrorists were killed.' The statement further announced that 12 people were killed and 42 injured in these attacks, adding: 'It should be noted that the terrorists were unable to enter the area near the parliament at all, and during the conflict, the public session of the parliament continued normally.' According to IRIB News Agency, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also stated in the public session of the parliament: 'A few cowardly terrorists infiltrated a building in the parliament, which was met with serious confrontation, and the issue is minor.' Larijani noted that 'this shows that the terrorists are seeking to create issues for Iran,' stating: 'The security forces will definitely confront them.'