US warned Iran of ISIS attack, but Iran ignored it and now 84 people are dead
Earlier this month, the United States covertly informed Iran of ISIS's intention to launch a terrorist attack within its borders, an effort Iran was unable to thwart, resulting in 84 Iranian fatalities and numerous injuries.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, American intelligence intercepted plans by ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate, to execute suicide bombings in Kerman, a town in southeastern Iran.
The intelligence shared with Iran was sufficiently detailed to potentially enable Iran to prevent the attack or greatly diminish its impact.
“Prior to ISIS’s terrorist attack on January 3, 2024, in Kerman, Iran, the U.S. government provided Iran with a private warning that there was a terrorist threat within Iranian borders,” a U.S. official said. “The U.S. government followed a longstanding ‘duty to warn’ policy that has been implemented across administrations to warn governments against potential lethal threats. We provide these warnings in part because we do not want to see innocent lives lost in terror attacks.”
The suicide attacks were aimed at a large gathering commemorating the anniversary of Qassem Soleimani's death. Soleimani, a high-ranking figure in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF), was killed by U.S. forces in January 2020.
According to the report, Iran seemingly disregarded the U.S. warning about the impending attack. Following the attack, Iran allegedly deflected responsibility by inaccurately insinuating U.S. and Israeli involvement with the ISIS terrorists.
To mitigate backlash from the Iranian public, Major General Hossein Salami, a senior IRGC commander, stated at a funeral for the victims that ISIS no longer poses a significant threat and that Islamic terrorists are merely acting as mercenaries for the U.S. and Israel.
The report also mentioned that ISIS-K has notably strengthened in the region following President Joe Biden's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, surpassing Al-Qaeda in terms of strength.
The report stated that it is a long-established policy of the United States to inform all nations, even those considered adversaries, if they are targeted by terrorist organizations. Exceptions to this policy state “if the intended victims are themselves terrorists or criminals, or if issuing a warning would endanger U.S. or allied government personnel, or intelligence or military operations.”
Iran holds the distinction of being the top state supporter of terrorism globally, providing financial assistance to Islamic terrorist groups across the region. These groups have carried out numerous attacks against U.S. forces, with a significant increase since mid-October.

Ian Miles Cheong
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Ian Miles Cheong is a freelance writer, graphic designer, journalist and videographer. He’s kind of a big deal on Twitter.
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