Pompeo: ‘Enormous mistake’ for Iran to blame US, allies for attack on military parade

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday blasted Iranian leadership for blaming the U.S. and its allies for an attack on an Iranian military parade that left at least 25 people dead.

“When you have a security incident at home, blaming others is an enormous mistake,” Pompeo said on “Fox News Sunday.”

Pompeo was asked to respond to comments from Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who said Gulf countries and their “U.S. masters” recruited and armed the individuals responsible for the attack. 

“The loss of innocent life is tragic, and I wish Zarif would focus on keeping his own people secure rather than causing insecurity around the world,” Pompeo said Sunday.

{mosads}The secretary of State’s interview was taped before Iranian President Hassan Rouhani echoed Zarif, and assailed the U.S. as a “bully toward the rest of the world.”

Multiple news outlets reported that at least 25 people, half of whom were members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the country’s elite fighting force, were killed Saturday in the attack by four gunmen during a military parade in Tehran.

Pompeo said Sunday that President Trump would be open to meeting with Iranian leaders at this week’s United Nations General Assembly meeting, but that the U.S. has seen no indication Iran is changing its malign behavior.

Tensions between the two countries have been heightened in the months since the Trump administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, which offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for abandoning its nuclear program.

The U.S. has since reimposed some of the sanctions lifted in the deal, potentially crippling the Iranian economy.