TEHRAN - “A girl in pink jacket and heart earrings!” This is not a fiction similar to six-word stories by Ernest Hemingway, but the real tragedy of a beautiful two-year-old Iranian girl and a symbolic victim of the recent heinous terrorist explosions which took her life and the life of 94 more innocent people, shocking Iran, region and the whole civilized world.

These days the Iranian nation is mourning for 95 precious innocent lives, mostly women (55) and children (24), who were killed in two barbaric terrorist explosions that hit the ancient city of Kerman, an old civilization center in southeast Iran, famous for its rich culture, amiable inhabitants and welcoming posture toward immigrants. The explosions happened as tens of thousands of people from different ethnic and religious groups gathered in annual ceremonies to commemorate Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

15 of the victims are from Sunni Islam whom ISIS pretends to defend, but only as a false political mantra.

General Soleimani remains a national hero and symbol of the fight against terrorism, particularly in defeating ISIS (Daesh) in Iraq and Syria, to whom Iranians and several nations in the region owe their peace and security to him.

The two desperate terrorists claimed to be members of the ISIS cult, detonated their advanced explosive belts outside the main rally hub, filled with hundreds of small pellets specially designed to kill more. Many more terrorist plots were discovered and thwarted by security forces in Kerman to exemplify the level of investment ISIS made in creating waves of horror and fear.

ISIS, which is neither Islamic nor a state, attempted on several occasions to assassinate the legendary anti-terror commander Soleimani. instead, Instead, however, this malicious job was done on the order of former US President Donald Trump, whom Iran is trying to bring to justice.

New ISIS leaders, from shelters and safe havens provided by foreign forces, try to revive and plot terrorism against General Soleimani’s anti-terrorism legacy to send a message of strength, test Iran and the world community once again for their will in fighting terrorism, and take avenge of his supporters.

The new leaders of the terrorist group feel extremely humiliated as the legendary anti-terror commander heroically aborted ISIS’s malicious intention to spread a criminal empire throughout West Asia.

Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran has always been the target and victim of terrorism, which has cost the lives of more than 17,000, mostly civilians. These evil acts have been conducted by different terrorist gangs, using all sorts of false flags to cover their vicious intentions. We have been serious and remain committed to fighting terrorists with their different names and ideologies, including the most recent one which hid under the name of Islam just to hit innocent Muslims, Sunni or Shia.

Many countries and international organizations expressed their sympathy with Iran at this hard time.  Numerous foreign leaders called from around the globe extending warm empathy and support. However,  there is still a small group of Western nations that refrain even from calling this tragic event terrorism. They refused to condemn the act in line with their international responsibilities as mentioned in the UN Security Council statement in this regard. Possibly they don’t want to help Iran fight terrorism.

The tragedy in Kerman reminds the world that terrorism has no religion as it has no border. The world must stop linking these acts of barbarism to Islam. Linking terrorism to Islam is a false tag, which is erroneously and dangerously used by Western political circles and media. Such characterization only serves terrorists' evil intentions and encourages and helps them to deceit and recruit. Instead, we need to reveal their evil, sectarian and terroristic nature.

Contrary to their claim Islam is the religion of peace.

The local network of terrorists has been detected and dismantled in Iran. Still, we are serious and committed to finding the “real and hidden elements” who helped, planned, facilitated and committed such savage acts. It is clear for Iranian officials that terrorism in Kerman had no chance of success without foreign logistical, financial, or training support.

There is credible evidence that ISIS has received and continues to receive important financial and non-financial support from state actors or regimes that either neglect the impact of their wrong policies or benefit from regional wars and instability. In the last four weeks, some close friends of General Soleimani were assassinated in Syria who were there to help the country in its long fight against the remaining elements of ISIS and other terrorist groups.

It is unfortunate and dangerous that some state and non-state actors have acted irresponsibly, either refraining from fighting the roots of terrorism inside their own borders, neglecting their international responsibilities, or worse, using terrorism as a foreign policy tool. Without such irresponsibility or wrong policies, without US disastrous wars and interventions in the region, and without safe haven and services in Syria or elsewhere, they would have been able to carry out such a brutal attack.

West Asia suffers from terrorism more than any other parts of the world and that is clearly the result of decades of foreign interventions, occupations and disastrous wars imposed on the region. To uproot ISIS terrorism, we need a region without foreign intervention, occupation or foreign military headquarters.

In the case of terrorism, we must notice some other terrorist groups that are now sheltered by Europe or the US. They receive generous financial help and ample chances to promote their radical ideologies in the name of political action in Western streets or inside political corridors and institutions, especially some parliaments. Their dark past and their dangers to global peace and security are simply ignored to let them be used as pawns or tools to push Iran towards some Western policies.

The world needs to act responsibly and send an unequivocal and united response that we won’t let ISIS or other terrorist groups re-root in West Asia and jeopardize regional and global peace and security. Other terrorists are watching and would do their calculations and planning accordingly.

Inside the region, Iran looks for a regional security mechanism that answers the original needs of the region for peace, security and prosperity.

Terrorism is the common threat and enemy for the entire region, trans-passes all our shared values. It can be countered more effectively if we oppose foreign interventions and work together based on our own potential.

*Mir-Ali Mohammadi is a Foreign Ministry diplomat