3 Reasons Why ISIS Conducted Dual Terrorist Attacks in Iran

06/07/2017 By

This morning, two terrorist attacks hit the capital city of Iran and ISIS claimed responsibility. The attacks, which took place at the Parliament building and at the mausoleum of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, proves that ISIS is reaching beyond traditional targets to strike fear everywhere.

Why Iran?

First, a few quick observations:

  • Iran is the largest Shia Muslim country in the world.
  • ISIS is a Sunni-only violent extremist group which arguably hates the Shias more than the West. (I know Al Qaeda couldn’t stand the Shias either.)
  • Ultra-conservative Sunni Muslims also abhor the Shias. (The Saudis have made it clear they won’t tolerate Iranian influence in the region.)
  • The Sunni-Shia divide is an old one that dates back to 7th century Arabia when Islam was born. The Shias are blamed for creating sectarian warfare, at least that’s the mainstream Sunni view.

It’s no surprise ISIS chose Iran as its next likely target. What is surprising is that the attacks came now, and not sooner, given Sunni extremist views against Shias and Iran, in particular. 

3 Reasons the Attacks Matter

The dual attacks in Iran says so much about ISIS. Here’s why the world should care: 

  1. ISIS is moving onto new targets. While key Western cities will continue to be hit, ISIS is inflaming sectarian warfare between the Shias and Sunnis by attacking Iran.
  2. The attacks in Iran serve the interests of Sunni conservatives. Countries like Saudi Arabia and other (unnamed) GCC states may have reason to celebrate these attacks because they hate the Iranians as much as ISIS. It’s a win-win for the ultra-conservatives.
  3. ISIS is a creative terror organization. That ISIS could infiltrate Iranian society and attempt a deadly attack at two different locations in Tehran signals originality, operational strength, and an ongoing obsession with violence. 

What is the Next Target?

This month alone, ISIS has shown that it can capture the headlines with attacks in three major cities: Manchester, London, and Tehran. As ISIS plans its next attack, the world community will remain on edge. And alert.

But no matter how much we prepare, and how good our intelligence may be, the reality is this: 

The next terrorist attack will surprise us.

 

 

Thank you for sharing.