THE TELEGRAPH: Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called on Muslims to fight the "blind and savage terrorism" fuelled by the United States and Britain, whom he blamed for deadly bombings of an Iranian mosque.
"In our region ... the blind and savage terrorism is born out of the evil policies of the United States, Britain and their state and non-state mercenaries," Khamenei said in a statement marking the seventh day of mourning for victims of the bombings of a Shiite mosque in southeastern Iran.
"All Muslims are required to combat and confront this evil and sinister offspring which is the epitome of corruption on earth and of waging war against God," he said in the statement read out on state television.
On Thursday, two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a Shiite mosque in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan province of Iran which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan, killing 28 people and wounding hundreds.
Sunni rebel group Jundallah (Soldiers of God) said it carried out the attacks to avenge the execution of its militant leader Abdolmalek Rigi in Tehran's Evin prison on June 20.
Jundallah says it is fighting for the rights of the Sunni Baluchis who make up a significant population in Sistan-Baluchestan. Tehran has blamed the group for several such deadly attacks over the past few years.
Iranian officials say that Jundallah, and particularly its executed leader Rigi, received support from US, British, Israeli and Pakistani intelligence services for launching cross-border attacks inside Iran.
Khamenei repeated the accusation, blaming US, Britain and Israeli spy agencies for the latest bombings in Zahedan despite Washington and the European Union leading a chorus of condemnation of the attacks. >>> | Wednesday, July 21, 2010
