Iran has been relatively unscathed. No longer…
Tehran, Iran (CNN)Attackers have mounted simultaneous gun and suicide bomb assaults on Iran’s parliament building and the tomb of the republic’s revolutionary founder, in one of the most audacious assaults to hit Tehran in decades.
At least 12 people were killed and dozens more injured in the twin assaults on the Iranian capital, state media reported. A third attack was foiled, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said.
ISIS issued a swift claim of responsibility. Its media wing, Amaq, claimed “fighters with the Islamic State” carried out the attack, but did not offer evidence.By choosing the burial site of Iran’s revered revolutionary leader, and the national legislative forum, the attackers picked highly symbolic targets.
The attack shocked Tehran: Until now, Iran has largely escaped the regular assaults launched against other participants in neighboring Syria’s civil war. In a region plagued by sectarian violence, residents of the Iranian capital have lived in a peaceful oasis.