ISIS has claimed responsibility, which is something that we discussed
as a possibility on our yesterday just after the blast
happened.
Nick, explain the dynamics here why ISIS would want to
target Iran?
They would want to target Iran because they consider it
a Shia theocracy and they consider them,
as they describe them, Poly atheists and in their language.
Today in their press release claiming responsibility for the attack,
they say they killed 300 Poly atheists.
Cheers because ISIS is a predominantly Sunni organization and they
are in their own minds at war with the Shias
and none more so than Iran.
And none more so than Qassem Soleimani,
because he was a leader.
In Iran, that cracked down not only on Western interests,
he was the sort of the international operations arm of
the IRGC,
the head of the Quds Force,
but he also led the charge against ISIS as well,
and that's why they would want to target him.
Now, having said that, are they offering evidence in their
claims so far that would support their case?
I have to say, from what we've seen so far,
there is not concrete evidence.
There is even some discrepancies in what they describe.
The number of dead, for examples,
actually 84 accorded to Iranians,
not 300. As ISIS says,
but ISIS often overstates. ISIS also said that.
The attack was carried out by two suicide bombers.
With the information we have from the Iranian authorities yesterday
is that at least one of those bombs was in
a suitcase and was remotely detonated.
The Iranians also blamed Israel,
the president of Iran today saying that Israel was responsible
and and would pay a price for this.
So there are still some parts of this that don't
add up.
But what does add up?
Very clearly the signature of the attack yesterday was not
at all the signature of an Israeli precision.
Strike against Command figures it was much more the signature
of an ISIS attack.
And slashing out and hitting out at innocent civilians and
bystanders,
which is what seems to have happened at the Soleimani
morning yesterday.