In Iran, six senior commanders in the country’s elite Revolutionary Guard were assassinated Sunday in a suicide bombing that killed as many as thirty-six others. The bombing occurred in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan near the Pakistani border. It has been described as the most serious attack against Iran in more than twenty years. The Sunni militant group Jundallah claimed responsibility for the attack. The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has vowed to “retaliate” against the United States and Britain after accusing them of backing Jundallah. Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Pakistan of also having links to the bombers.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: “We ask the Pakistani government not to delay any longer in the apprehension of the main elements in this terrorist attack. And also, we were informed that some security agents in Pakistan are cooperating with the main elements of this terrorist incident, and we regard it as our right to demand these criminals.”