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Reuters - Friday, May 29 By Zahra Hosseinian TEHRAN - An explosion at a prominent Shi'ite Muslim mosque in the
southeast Iranian city of Zahedan on Thursday killed 30 people and
wounded 60, the semi-official news agency ILNA reported.
The agency said the blast was a suicide bombing but no person or group
had claimed responsibility. Provincial Governor Ali Mohammad Azad was quoted as saying a "terrorist
group" had been arrested but only one person was behind the explosion in
the city. "This group intended to use the insecure conditions in Afghanistan and
Pakistan as the country prepares to hold its presidential election," he
said on the website of state broadcaster IRIB. "They planned to carry out other terrorist activities in other provinces
and regions of the country." Zahedan is the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan province which shares a
border with Pakistan. The province faces serious security problems and
there are frequent clashes between police and drug dealers and bandits. Azad said 15 people were killed and 80 wounded. Other sources gave
differing casualty figures. Iran is preparing for a presidential election on June 12, in which
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is seeking a second term and faces three
challengers. Shortly after the explosion, security forces discovered and defused a
second bomb near the mosque, the semi-official FARS news agency reported. The attack was carried out on a public holiday for Shi'ite Muslims.
Zahedan is a mostly Sunni city. Earlier, Azad told state television the explosion occurred at about 7:45
p.m. when many people were inside the Ali Ebne-Abitaleb mosque for prayers. A bomb attack in Zahedan in February 2007 which killed 18 Revolutionary
Guards was claimed by Jundallah, an insurgent group that says it is
fighting for the rights of Iran's Sunni Muslim minority. The presidents of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan met in the capital
Tehran for their first summit on Sunday, in an effort to improve
cooperation in fighting terrorism and drug trafficking and tackling
other regional security problems. Pakistan and Afghanistan are battling to stem the spread of Taliban
insurgencies in their countries, and Iran and Pakistan want a stable
Afghanistan because the drugs trade has had a dire effect on Iran and
past Afghan violence sent millions of refugees across the border.
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