TEHRAN: At least 103 people were killed, and more than 170 others were injured in two consecutive bomb blasts during a gathering commemorating the fourth anniversary of the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani in Iran’s southern city of Kerman. The blasts occurred near the Saheb al-Zaman Mosque in Kerman, Soleimani’s hometown, where he is buried.
Iran’s state media referred to the bombings as a “terrorist attack,” escalating regional tensions. The explosions took place amid heightened regional instability, with yesterday’s killing of Hamas number two Saleh al-Aruri in a Beirut drone strike, which Lebanese officials attributed to Israel.
The bombings, targeting civilians who had gathered to honor Soleimani, resulted in at least 170 people being wounded, according to state media. Kerman’s deputy governor declared the incident as a “terrorist attack.”
Iran’s Tasnim news agency, quoting informed sources, reported that “two bags carrying bombs went off” at the site, suggesting a coordinated attack. The agency added that the perpetrators likely detonated the bombs remotely.
Images broadcast on state television showed chaotic scenes as crowds hurriedly tried to flee the area, while ambulances and rescue personnel rushed to the scene to aid the victims.
General Qasem Soleimani, who headed the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, was assassinated in a US drone strike just outside Baghdad airport in 2020.
Soleimani was a highly respected figure in Iran. His death prompted massive displays of mourning across the country, and he remains highly regarded among Iranians.
