Bombings in Iran Kill 6, Injure 46
Bombs exploded in a bank and outside a government building Tuesday, killing six people and injuring 46 in a southwestern city with a history of violence involving members of Iran’s Arab minority, the official news agency reported.
The president had been expected to meet with his Cabinet there Tuesday but canceled the visit.
Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi said the attacks in Ahvaz, capital of oil-rich Khuzestan province bordering Iraq, were foreign-inspired and related to last year’s bombings in the city.
The government blamed bombings in June and October on Iranian Arab extremists who it alleged were trained abroad and maintained ties to foreign governments, including Britain. The October bombings killed six people, and the June attacks killed at least eight. Britain has denied any connection.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Cabinet had been expected to meet in Ahvaz as part of a series of visits to provincial capitals to address key local issues. Ahmadinejad canceled the visit, citing a forecast calling for heavy rain, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
The two bombs targeted a bank and a state environmental agency building, IRNA said.
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