Three of the terrorists were shot dead at the scene while a fourth was arrested and later succumbed to his wounds.
Masses of Iranian people and government officials on Monday participated in a funeral procession for the victims of the terrorist attack in Ahvaz.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has recently said that Iran will severely punish those “cowardly” elements who were behind a recent terrorist attack in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz.
Ayatollah Khamenei said the bitter incident “once again showed that the Iranian nation is faced with many enemies on its honorable path to progress and excellence.”
Describing the attack on defenseless people as an act of cowardice, the Leader noted, “According to [available] reports, this cowardly act has been perpetrated by the same people who are saved by Americans whenever they face a difficult situation in Iraq and Syria” and whose operations are being financed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also said that the Islamic Republic will give a "crushing" response to the slightest threat against the country.
"Those who are providing these terrorists with propaganda and intelligence support must be held accountable," Rouhani said.
He expressed his sympathy with the bereaved families of the victims of the terrorist attack and ordered Iranian officials to adopt immediate measures to treat the injured.
Shortly after the terrorist attack, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also said Iran will respond “swiftly and decisively” in defense of its people.
“Terrorists recruited, trained, armed, and paid by a foreign regime have attacked Ahvaz. Children and journos [are] among casualties,” Zarif tweeted on Saturday
The al-Ahvaziya terror group, whose recruits are believed to be scattered in several European countries, including in the Netherlands and in Denmark, claimed responsibility for the attack in Ahvaz.
The terror outfit, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, has a record of carrying out sabotage acts in Iran’s Khuzestan province.
The group was born in 1980; soon after the Islamic revolution in Iran. It was inspired by the ruling Ba’ath regime in neighboring Iraq at the time. It had already carried out a series of attacks in the province even before Saddam unleashed war against Iran.
Al-Ahvaziya group has an office in the UK, London. It operates with highly questionable funds the British government is rumored to have turned a blind eye on.
Iran has said it holds accountable the countries which support the terrorist group.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said that Iranian authorities had passed their strong note of protest to the chargé d'affaires of the British embassy in Tehran about an interview aired by a Britain-based TV channel after the attack in Ahvaz in which the spokesman of the al-Ahvaziya had condoned the terrorist act.
Qassemi said the British diplomat condemned the attack and said that he would accordingly relay Iran’s message of protest to the authorities in London.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has also said that the terrorists behind a bloody attack in the southwestern city of Ahvaz will definitely face "deadly and unforgettable" revenge in the near future.
In a statement on Sunday, the IRGC expressed its sympathy with the bereaved families of the victims of the terrorist attack on a military parade in Ahvaz.
It added that the terrorist crime committed in Ahvaz by the ruthless stooges of the global arrogance and reactionary regimes in the region revealed that the sworn enemies of Iran spare no effort and conspiracy to transfer insecurity into the country after their failure to achieve their ominous goals.
They are even ready to target innocent people, including women and children, with "blind terrorist measures," the IRGC's statement read.
It emphasized that such crimes would fail to undermine the firm determination of the Islamic establishment and the Iranian nation to remain committed to the Islamic Revolution's sublime ideals.
The IRGC said it would spare no effort to hunt for the perpetrators of terrorist measures in the region and beyond and bring them to justice.