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Iranian-Pakistani Tensions in the Wake of Terrorist Attacks

(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Lt.-Col. (ret.) Michael Segall - On Feb. 13, the Sunni Jaysh al-Adl (Army of Justice) claimed responsibility for the suicide car bombing of a bus carrying dozens of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel in Iran's Sistan-Balochistan province. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has recently warned of the increasing daring of Sunni organizations against the Iranian regime. Jaysh al-Adl was established in 2012 to fight for the rights of the Iranian Sunni minority, which is treated with discrimination and neglect by Iran's Shiite regime. The group has been focusing its attacks on the province bordering Pakistan where the Sunni Balochi minority lives. The attack has heightened tensions between Iran and Pakistan, where the Sunni terrorist organizations allegedly find refuge. IRGC commanders announced on Feb. 19 that the suicide attacker was a Pakistani national. IRGC commander Muhammad Jafari accused "foreign (U.S.) and regional (Saudi) intelligence agencies of carrying out the attack," and he called upon the IRGC and Iranian intelligence services to take revenge. Meanwhile, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Pakistan for a visit on Feb. 17, where he met Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and signed memoranda of understanding worth $20 billion, no doubt causing anxiety among the Iranians.
2019-02-21 00:00:00
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