Iran Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani holds the US responsible for the deadly bomb attack at a Shia mosque in Zahedan, which killed 25 people.

Larijani said that the US has long had contacts with Jundullah, the terrorist group that has claimed responsibility for the Thursday attack, reported Fars News Agency.

“As a result of the obstacles they face in the region, the Americans seek to find a way forward, in order to attain their demands at all costs, but these terrorist acts will eventually cost them dearly,” he said Sunday.

Jundullah -- which claims to be defending the interests of Iran's Sunni Baluchi people -- is headed by Abdul Malek Rigi, who is hidden in Pakistan, and seeks to stir up sectarianism by attacking Shia targets in Iran.

Although the US has publicly distanced itself from the Zahedan attack, it has not included Jundullah, which is, ironically, associated with al-Qaeda, in its list of 'terrorist organizations'.

There have been persistent reports about Jundullah receiving arms and training by US Special Forces in Pakistan's Baluchistan province, which neighbors Iran's southeastern border.

Noting that Parliament members -- both Sunni and Shia -- have condemned such sectarian attacks, the Speaker called on the Iranian nation to beware that such terrorist acts are among "the enemies' methods for creating divisions between Shias and Sunnis."

He also said that Pakistan has promised to cooperate with Iran in the hunt for the culprits and vowed that those behind the attack will be brought to justice.

Jundullah has warned of a new campaign of violence in order to dissuade people from participating in Iran's forthcoming presidential election scheduled for June 12.

ZAP/MMN