20 killed in Iranian blast

An explosion at a prominent Shi'ite Muslim mosque in southeast Iran has killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 50 others.

Iranian security personnel and civilians inspect the site  of a bomb blast inside the Amir al-Momenin mosque in the  southeastern Iranian city of Zahedan. The blast killed at  least 19 worshippers and wounded 80 others, the official  IRNA news agency reported.(AFP/IRNA/Mojtaba Goudarzi)

The blast occurred in the city of Zahedan near the volatile Pakistani border. It was a suicide bombing but no person or group has yet claimed responsibility. Local authorities have arrested members of a terrorist group.

The group said it intends to exploit tensions in neighboring Afghanistan and Pakistan as Iran prepares to hold its presidential election.