A bomb blast during a military parade has killed at least 10 people and injured 57 in the Iranian city of Mahabad in West Azerbaijan province.
“This bomb was a time-bomb planted on a tree among the people and it went off at 10:20 a.m.,” the website of state-run television IRIB quoted a military official as saying.
The blast on Wednesday took place about 50 metres from the parade.
None of the soldiers were injured, but the spectators, mostly women and children, were the chief victims of the attack. Iran's Mehr news agency said wives of two ranking military officers were among the dead. State television showed a short video of soldiers marching in front of the VIP stand at when the bomb went off. Soon after the loud bang, the area was littered with debris, pieces of broken furniture, bits of clothing and footwear.
Vahid Jalalzadeh, the Governor of West Azerbaijan province, blamed “counter-revolutionary groups” for the strike. While no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, Kurdish separatists have been active in West Azerbaijan, which borders Turkey and Iraq. Mahabad was once the capital of the self-proclaimed republic of Iranian Kurdistan.
Iran recaptured Mahabad in 1946. Wednesday's carnage follows an August 4 attack, which appeared to target Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's motorcade, heading towards the western city of Hamadan.
In Tehran, the armed forces chief accused the United States of supporting anti-government groups inside Iran.
Several military parades were held on Wednesday across Iran to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war which began on September 22. These ceremonies are part of the Sacred Defence Week that is being observed throughout Iran.
