An Iranian diplomatic source has refuted reports suggesting that US intelligence warned Iran before the terrorist attack in Kerman on January 3rd.
Earlier, a US official claimed that Washington had alerted Iran about the potential threat within its borders before the deadly attack perpetrated by ISIS last month in the city of Kerman, resulting in the loss of around 100 lives.
The official did not disclose how the United States conveyed its intelligence information about ISIS to Iran.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report this news.
About 100 individuals lost their lives, with many others injured on January 3rd due to two explosions at the tomb of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in the southeastern city of Kerman.
The official stated that issuing such warnings was routine, but analysts suggest it might reflect US efforts to build trust with Iran.
These efforts come amidst attacks by proxies aligned with Iran on Western interests. The official, who requested anonymity, said, “The US government follows a ‘duty to warn’ policy applied by US administrations to alert governments about potential deadly threats. We issue these warnings for reasons, including our desire to prevent the loss of innocent lives in terrorist attacks.”
John Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, commented, “This is an olive branch,” and noted that the Biden administration believed dialogue between Washington and Tehran could be beneficial to both sides
