US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis rejected Irans threats against those allegedly responsible for an attack on a military parade in Ahwaz, saying it was “ludicrous” that Tehran would claim US involvement. Mattis’ statements coincided with Iran’s Fars news agency, Revolutionary Guard’s mouthpiece, publishing a recording hinting missile strikes targeting the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi. The recording begins with footage of an attack during which Guards fired missiles in Syria. The tape also shows rocket attacks from Syria towards Israeli positions in the Golan Heights in response to an Israeli attack on the T-4 base which killed Iranian officers. The T-4 Airbase is a Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) base located in the Homs Governorate, north of Tiyas, and west of the ancient city of Palmyra, and is being used by the Revolutionary Gaurds’ Quds Force for military operations against opposition forces during the Syrian Civil War. Posting such footage is meant to insinuate an imminent retaliation against what is considered a direct attack against Revolutionary Guard forces. The final scene of the assembled video shows moments of attack on the military parade in Ahwaz, before a map popping up, showing locations in Abu Dhabi and closing with the following words: “The hard punishment on the way.” Asked whether Iran’s threat gave him any concern, Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon: “No, it does not. We’ve been very clear that they shouldn’t take us on like that. And I am hopeful that cooler, wiser heads will prevail.” Mattis’ statement counters a prior loud threat made by Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promising that Iran would "severely punish" the attackers who killed 25 people at a Revolutionary Guard parade in southwestern Iran. Statements published by Fars news agency vowed to target Abu Dhabi after Khamenei said the attack was organized in cooperation with foreign espionage, despite an Ahwazi separatist group claiming responsibility for it. Captured on video and widely shared on social media, the attack in Iran was a humiliating blow. Iranian intelligence announced the arrest of 22 people linked to the attack. “Weapons, explosives and communications equipment were seized from the house of the terrorist group of the five who carried out the attack,” the Iranian Tasnim news agency quoted intelligence as saying.