At least 95 people have been killed by two bomb explosions near the tomb of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, on the fourth anniversary of his alleged assassination by the US, Iran’s state media report. Several others were wounded when the blasts hit a procession near the Saheb al-Zaman mosque in the city of Kerman.
People were caught in the explosions as they gathered to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the assassination of General Soleimani, head of the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force, who died in a US drone strike in Iraq in January 2020. The explosions took place near his grave site in Kerman, about 820 kilometres (510 miles) southeast of the Iranian capital, Tehran.
Kerman’s deputy governor, Rahman Jalali, called the attack “terroristic,” even though nobody has yet taken responsibility for the attack.
The death toll may rise further as several injured are in a critical situation. As per reports, the blasts took place 15 minutes apart.
As per reports, the Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Cops), primary branch of Iranian Armed Forces, said the first explosion was 700 meters from a shrine for the assassinated leader Soleimani. The second explosion was 1 kilometer away from the shrine and was outside the pilgrims’ path and inspection gates.
Responding to the attack, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said that most of the victims died in the second explosion and that authorities would react “quickly and forcefully” to the bombings. He also said, “Our police forces are vigilant and will bring those who committed this crime to justice”.
Notably, Qasem Soleimani was the commander of the Quds force, the Iranian division responsible for extraterritorial and clandestine military operations. He was assassinated in a drone strike on 3rd January 2020 by USA.
In light of the heightened tensions in the Middle-East due to Israel-Hamas war, and Red Sea attacks by the Houthis, this latest attack attracts special significance since both Hamas and Houthis are funded by Iran.