Iran General NewsIran says Shiraz blast was not bomb attack

Iran says Shiraz blast was not bomb attack

-

ImageAFP: Iran on Wednesday denied that a bomb attack had caused a blast that killed 12 people at a mosque in the southern city of Shiraz, a major tourist centre, the official IRNA news agency reported.

ImageTEHRAN (AFP) — Iran on Wednesday denied that a bomb attack had caused a blast that killed 12 people at a mosque in the southern city of Shiraz, a major tourist centre, the official IRNA news agency reported.

An interior ministry body said the blast late Saturday had been set off by munitions on display in the mosque as part of an exhibition commemorating Iran's 1980-1988 war against Iraq.

"The explosion of a bomb or any explosion carried out by opposition elements, be they internal or foreign, is ruled out," the national security council said.

"The blast was caused by some munitions used in a exhibition for the (Iran-Iraq war) martyrs in the mosque," a statement said.

Doubts had been raised in Iran about the authorities' insistence that the blast, which also wounded over 200 people, was not an attack.

The cleric who was leading prayers at the mosque, Mohammad Anjavinejad, said the sheer magnitude of the explosion belied the official version of events.

The reformist Etemad newspaper has also said it was apparent the blast was caused by an attack.

"Giving reasons such as the explosion of a gas capsule or ammunition from an exhibition — when such munitions are neutralised and sealed — show that those who voice these things ignore people's intelligence," it wrote on Monday.

A deadly militant strike of this magnitude would be have been unprecedented in recent years in a stable city like Shiraz, a tourist magnet that does not lie near border zones or have significant ethnic minority populations.

Reports just after the blast described it as a bomb attack but by Sunday local officials said it was an accident and not sabotage.

The interior ministry council indicated that the investigation was still not finished, saying the final results would be announced "in the near future."

One of Iran's most famous cities, Shiraz is popular because of its proximity to important ancient sites from the Achaemenid Empire that ruled much of Asia from 550-331 BC.

Latest news

 Statistics show that New Year accidents’ deaths in Iran reached 585

Ahmad Shirani, the head of the Information and Traffic Control Center of the Iranian regime’s police, announced that the...

Land Subsidence in Critical Conditions in Isfahan

Mehdi Toghyani, a member of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament), pointed to the occurrence of land subsidence in various...

Iran’s Actual Inflation Rate Higher Than Official Stats

The state-run Donya-e-eqtesad newspaper, in a report analyzing the "general sentiment" regarding inflation in 2023, has stated that households...

Iranian Workers’ Monthly $136 Wages Can’t Cover $500 Expenses

The lives of a significant portion of the Iranian population are marked by uncertainty, largely because the Iranian economy...

Iranian Nurses Earn Twice Their Wages in Ride-Hailing Services

Reza Aryanpour, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) Health and Treatment Commission, highlighted the growing trend of nurses...

Iran: Unprecedented Record of 152 Million Liters of Gasoline Consumption Per Day

On March 19, Iran set a new historical record in gasoline consumption with 152 million liters consumed in one...

Must read

Iran judiciary wants quick handling of reporter’s case

Reuters: The head of Iran's judiciary ordered a careful,...

Iran executes Kurdish political prisoner

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Dec. 25 – Iran has...

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you