No group immediately claimed responsibility for the assault which saw gunfire spray into a crowd of marching Guardsmen, bystanders and government officials watching from a nearby riser. On Twitter, Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif pointed the finger at a "foreign regime" without identifying which. He wrote: "Terrorists recruited, trained, armed & paid by a foreign regime have attacked Ahvaz. Children and journos among casualties. Iran holds regional terror sponsors and their US masters accountable for such attacks. Iran will respond swiftly and decisively in defense of Iranian lives."
