A terrorist attack in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Wednesday left 12 people dead and 42 wounded, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The attacks by suicide bombers and gunmen targeted the Iranian parliament and the tomb to the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, an important figure in Iranian history due to his association with that country's successful Islamic political revolution in 1979.
[salon_video id="14776566"]The Islamic State is claiming responsibility for the attack, according to a report by The Washington Post. Like al Qaeda, the Islamic State is comprised of Sunni Muslim extremists, who believe that Shiite Islam is illegitimate. Because Iran is a predominantly Shiite country, they have targeted Iranian religious pilgrims throughout the Middle East and attacked a number of Shiite targets.
Shiite factions in Syria, meanwhile, have been backed by Iran in supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his ongoing battle against the Islamic State.
The parliament's speaker Ali Larijani told IRNA, the state news agency, that "some coward terrorists infiltrated a building in the Majlis, but they were seriously confronted. This is a minor issue but reveals that the terrorists pursue troublemaking."
Although Iranian intelligence claims that they intercepted and prevented a third attack, the Islamic State has not made any mention of a third attempt against Iran.
The assailants were armed with Kalashnikov rifles and wore women's clothing as they entered the area, according to a report by Time. In the aftermath of the attack, police snipers could be seen on rooftops around the parliament building and nearby shops were shuttered.
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