The Biden administration privately alerted Iran about an imminent terrorist threat before the January 3 attacks carried out by the Islamic State (ISIS), which resulted in the death of over 80 people in Kerman, as confirmed by US officials on Thursday.
This warning, based on actionable intelligence, was conveyed a week prior to the dual suicide bombings during a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of Qassem Soleimani’s death.
Soleimani, the former head of Iran’s elite Quds Force within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), had been killed in a 2019 drone strike authorized by the Trump administration near Baghdad International Airport.
A US official informed that the United States adhered to a longstanding “duty to warn” policy in providing this information to Iran.
US officials chose not to provide specific information regarding the nature, timing, or underlying intelligence of the warning, nor did they disclose any response received from Tehran.
It remains unclear whether Iranian authorities took any measures to prevent the attacks, which were the deadliest in decades, in response to the US advisory.
Biden Affirms US Alerts to Iran on Houthi Strikes
In recent weeks, President Biden has acknowledged that the United States conveyed private messages to Iran concerning attacks carried out by Houthi militias in Yemen.
However, there has been no mention of communication regarding the ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) terror attack in Iran, which is based in Afghanistan.
Typically, these messages are delivered through intermediary countries due to the absence of direct diplomatic contact between the US and Iran.
ISIS, a radical Sunni group with a professed animosity towards Shiite Muslims, later claimed responsibility for the bombing, referring to it as a “dual martyrdom operation.” It’s worth noting that more than 90% of Iran’s population adheres to Shia Islam.
Administration officials have consistently identified the Iranian government as a significant source of regional instability.
This includes their stance following the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas extremists.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, led by Shiite clerics, is accused of providing financial support and weapons to Hamas.