The Iranian Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the “heinous and shameful” Saturday terrorist attacks in the Syrian capital of Damascus, which resulted in fatalities among Shia pilgrims.
“Indiscriminate assassinations, carnage and spilling the blood of innocent people, including women and children, are the last resort of the desperate and miserable terrorists who have lost their control more than ever following their recurrent and disgraceful defeats in various fields,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Saturday.
“Terrorists and their overt and covert supports know well that they are on the threshold of more failures and on the verge of ruin and undoubtedly full collapse,” he added.
At least 46 people, most of them Iraqis, were killed in two bomb explosions near the Bab al-Saghir cemetery in the Bab Masala area of the Syrian capital on Saturday, in one of the bloodiest attacks in Damacus.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
In a statement, Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Jamal said that around 40 Iraqis were killed in the blasts and blamed the attacks on "Takfiri groups."
They are committing such inhumane crimes with the purpose of undermining the process of peace, dialog, stability and the prevalence of ceasefire in Syria, the Iranian spokesperson said.
Qassemi expressed sympathy with the Syrian government, nation and the bereaved families of the victims.
The first blast took place at a bus station where the pilgrims had been brought to visit the cemetery. The second explosion went off some 10 minutes after the first.
According to reports, the pilgrims were due to pray at the cemetery after visiting the shrine of Sayeda Zeinab, the granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), just outside Damascus.
