Iran’s central bank governor has accused the US-based website Bonbast of fueling the devaluation of the rial by setting unofficial exchange rates used by Iranian exchange offices.
“The Bonbast channel, which determines the dollar exchange rate for all Iranian exchange offices starting at 9 AM, is registered in the US, and all its servers are also located there,” Mohammad Reza Farzin said.
Bonbast is widely known for publishing the free-market exchange rate of the rial against foreign currencies.
Iran has multiple official exchange rates but the free market rate reflects the true value of transactions. The rial has depreciated by over 25% since September, driven by regional conflicts and Iran’s setbacks in Syria and Lebanon.
Local rights group Haalvsh, citing a statement by Ansar al-Furqan, reported on Sunday that the group claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attack took place outside a police headquarters in Bandar Lengeh, a town on the Persian Gulf coast.
While Iranian state media say Captain Mojtaba Shahidi Takhti, the head of Bandar Lengeh police intelligence was the only victim of the attack, a statement by Ansar al-Furqan claims Sohrab Hassan Zadeh, a senior IRGC intelligence member in Hormozgan province, and Bakhtiar Soleimanpour, a delegate from Tehran's central police intelligence unit were also killed in the incident.
Iran International cannot independently verify the militant group's claim.
Captain Javad Chatr-Sahar, the deputy head of Bandar Lengeh police intelligence, was injured in the attack, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News confirmed on Saturday citing the local governor.
The identity of the suicide bomber has not yet been precisely identified, the deputy security chief of Hormozgan province said on Sunday, but evidence suggests they were affiliated with what he called terrorist groups.
Authorities in Hormozgan province have arrested one individual in connection with the attack, Iran's judiciary's news agency Mizan reported Sunday citing the provincial judiciary chief.
The bomber was positioned on the two police officers' exit route and triggered the explosion with a remote control, the report by Tasnim news agency said.
Security forces promptly arrived at the scene after the incident and confirmed the attacker was also killed, Tasnim added, citing the local governor Foad Moradzadeh.
The attack came days before the anniversary of twin suicide bombings in January this year claimed by Islamic State which killed nearly 100 people at a southeastern Iran memorial for late top IRGC general Qassem Soleimani.
