Iran's Revolutionary Guard blamed Saudi Arabia for launching coordinated terrorist attacks Wednesday in Tehran against the national Parliament and a shrine dedicated to the nation's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, according to a statement from the military group.
The Islamic State swiftly claimed responsibility for the attacks through its media arm, Amaq, earlier in the day, though the terrorist group has not offered any evidence.
"This terrorist attack happened only a week after the meeting between the U.S. president [Donald Trump] and the [Saudi] backward leaders who support terrorists," the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement Wednesday, Reuters reported. "The fact that Islamic State has claimed responsibility proves that they were involved in the brutal attack."
Iran has long blamed Saudi Arabia for facilitating the rise of extremist groups in the region, including ISIS. The Islamic Republic has launched several campaigns in the Middle East aimed at deterring Saudi influence in the region as part of an ongoing battle for regional dominance.
The U.S. government has not yet confirmed who was behind the attacks.
Four gunmen armed with AK-47s and dressed as women opened fire on the Parliament building Wednesday morning, killing at least one security guard while holding others hostage. Iranian security forces killed all four attackers during the four-hour standoff.
About fifteen miles south of Parliament, assailants simultaneously carried out a shooting spree and suicide bombing at the Khomeini mausoleum.
The twin attacks in Iran's capital killed at least 12 people and injured 43 others, state-run media reported.