Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has lashed out to the US following a deadly attack on a military parade. Gunmen opened fire at Revolutionary Guard troops in the south-western city of Ahvaz on Saturday, in an attack claimed by both an anti-government Arab group, and Islamic State militants.
Mr Rouhani said the "bully" US and the Gulf states it backed had enabled the attack. The US has denied this and says it condemns "any terrorist attack". He alleged that a Gulf country had supported the "financial, weaponry and political needs" of the attackers.
Rouhani said: "The small puppet countries in the region are backed by America, and the US is provoking them and giving them the necessary capabilities. The US showed the world their bullying nature and they keep continuing their unilateral policies."
Saturday's attack claimed the life of 25 people, including 12 soldiers, civilians watching the parade, and a four-year-old girl. Ahvaz National Resistance, an umbrella group that claims to defend the rights of the Arab minority in Iran's Khuzestan Province, said the group was behind the bloodshed, while IS also claimed the attack. However, neither group provided evidence to show it was involved.
Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN responded by saying Iran should "look in the mirror" for the causes of such an attack.
"He's got the Iranian people... protesting, every ounce of money that goes into Iran goes into his military, he has oppressed his people for a long time and he needs to look at his own base to figure out where that's coming from," Ms Haley said. "He can blame us all he wants. The thing he's got to do is look in the mirror."
Mr Rouhani will face Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly this week.
