A video circulating on the ISIS-affiliated Amaq News Agency claims to show three of the four assailants accused of carrying outa deadly terrorist attack on an Iranian military parade.
CNN cannot verify the authenticity of the video, which Amaq said it “obtained” and published on Sunday, a day after the attack that killed 29 people and wounded 70 others.
The video shows three men in military fatigues speaking to a camera inside a vehicle. None of them directly mention Saturday’s attack in Ahvaz, Iran, nor do they say they’re acting on behalf of ISIS, which has claimed responsibility for the attack but has not provided evidence to support that claim.
Two of the men in the video speak Arabic and the third speaks Farsi. They offer short “goodbyes,” thank God and call on those watching the footage to pray for them.
“God willing, I’m going to die,” says the man who speaks Farsi, claiming a “very strong guerrilla operation” will destroy the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
State media reported all four attackers were killed in clashes with security forces Saturday after they opened fire at the parade. Both military personnel and civilians were among the casualties, according to Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
There was confusion on Sunday about who carried out the attack. Several groups were named in local media, and the separatist Patriotic Arab Democratic Movement in Ahwaz issued a denial after IRNA reported it had claimed responsibility.
On Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blamed “foreign mercenaries” backed by the United States for the attack — an accusation US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley dismissed on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the attackers were affiliated with a terrorist group supported by Saudi Arabia, according to state-run Press TV. Saudi Arabia has not responded to the allegations.
Late Sunday, the United Arab Emirates added its voice to the mix and denied it was involved. “The UAE’s stance against terrorism and violence is very clear,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Twitter.
