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Wednesday's
attacks
in
Tehran
targeted
the
two
most
significant
symbols
of
the
1979
Revolution
the
Parliament
and
the
tomb
of
Ayatollah
Khomeini,
the
founder
of
the
Islamic
Republic.
The
terrorists
clearly
wanted
to
send
a
message
to
the
Iranian
state,
and
they
retained
the
element
of
surprise.
Though
it
is
involved
in
the
fight
against
the
Islamic
State
in
Iraq
and
Syria,
Iran
has
so
far
largely
remained
insulated
from
the
regional
crises.
The
attack,
the
first
major
terror
incident
in
Iran
in
many
years,
suggests
that
even
the
formidable
security
cover
put
in
place
by
the
elite
Revolutionary
Guards
can
be
breached
by
terrorists.
The
IS
immediately
claimed
responsibility
for
the
attack
that
killed
12
people.
For
the
IS,
Iran
is
the
main
adversary
in
West
Asia,
for
both
ideological
and
strategic
reasons.
The
IS
has
thrived
on
antiShia
sectarianism
and
persistently
attacked
Shia
Muslims,
mainly
in
Iraq
and
Syria.
For
it,
Iran
is
the
embodiment
of
Shia
power
in
the
region.
Further,
Iran
is
directly
involved
in
the
antiIS
fight
in
Iraq,
Irantrained
Shia
militia
groups
are
in
the
forefront
of
the
battle
for
Mosul
which
has
almost
liberated
the
second
largest
city
from
the
IS;
and
in
Syria,
Iran
is
propping
up
the
regime
of
Bashar
alAssad
which
the
IS
wants
to
overthrow.
But
the
attacks
and
the
Iranian
reaction
must
also
be
seen
in
the
context
of
heightened
Saudi
ArabiaIran
rivalry.
The
Iranian
Revolutionary
Guards
has
said
in
a
statement
that
Saudi
Arabia
and
the
U.S.
are
involved
in
the
attack.
This
is
a
serious
allegation
to
make,
and
risks
escalating
tensions
between
Riyadh
and
Tehran.
The
attack
is
yet
another
reminder
that
no
country
in
West
Asia
is
free
from
the
threat
posed
by
terrorists,
and
that
the
region
has
a
collective
responsibility
to
fight
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