U.S. privately warned Iran about 'terrorist threat' ahead of Islamic State attack -official

We provide these warnings in part because we do not want to see innocent lives lost in terror attacks,” the U.S. official said, requesting anonymity. The Wall Street Journal first reported the warning on Thursday.

The U.S. government privately warned Iran about a "terrorist threat" within its borders ahead of a deadly attack this month claimed by the Islamic State militant group, a U.S. official said on Thursday. Two explosions at a memorial for Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in the southeastern Iranian city of Kerman killed nearly 100 people and wounded scores more on Jan. 3.

“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 U.S. official said, requesting anonymity. The Wall Street Journal first reported the warning on Thursday.