Iran’s Parliament Speaker Condemns Terrorist Attacks in Saudi Arabia and Iraq

“The terrorist blast in Saudi Arabia’s Qatif and the one in Medina, near the holy Mosque of Prophet, were sources of disappointment and grief,” Larijani said in an address to the Parliament on Tuesday, July 5.

The terrorist attack in Medina was even more shameless since it desecrated the sanctity of such a holy place as Prophet’s shrine, he went on to say, as reported by Mehr.

He further condemned the attacks, and expressed regret and sympathy with the “dear” people of Saudi Arabia, who suffered serious damages in these attacks.

“Iran has reiterated in many occasions that a strategic mistake lies in using terrorism as an instrument to achieve political ends,” he said, adding that such countries are making a big strategic mistake since the groups they support would return to pose active threats to these countries as well.

“We hope that these events would enlighten the people as well as governments in the region, giving them better insights to the nature of terrorism and a motivation to promote unity among Muslims.”

He also condemned Al-Karada market explosions in Baghdad, which killed and wounded 400 innocent citizens.

“Such barbarity conducted by these terrorists indicates their frustration of several defeats they suffered on the grounds in Fallujah and elsewhere in Iraq,” Larijani said.

He offered condolences to Iraqi government and people for the event, and expressed his hope that Iraqi people will find more success in future in defeating and destroying terrorists.

His comments came after suicide bombings in three Saudi Arabian cities over a 24-hour period.

Two of the attacks failed but four people were killed in the third one, all of which appear to be coordinated.

The first occurred before dawn on Monday, July 4, near the US Consulate in Jeddah. The attacker killed only himself after detonating an explosive according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency. Policemen were injured in the attack.

In Qatif in eastern Saudi Arabia, a suicide bomber attempted to launch an attack at a Shiite mosque on Monday evening, but failed, killing himself in the process, according to an official with knowledge of the event. There were no injuries.

But the deadliest attack occurred in Medina, where four people were killed and another person was wounded, according to an informed official.

The holy city of Medina is a major spot in Islam because that hosts the shrine of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

The bomber, who died in the explosion, targeted security officers, but it is unknown precisely who was killed, the source said.

Earlier on Sunday, July 3, an explosion in a busy shopping district in Baghdad, the Al-Karada market, killed at least 215 people and wounded dozens more.