At a ceremony held in Iran on Wednesday to honor commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by a U.S. drone in 2020, two explosions claimed approximately 100 lives and several injuries. Iranian officials blamed unknown “terrorists” for the deaths.
During a packed fourth-anniversary event at the cemetery where Soleimani is buried in the southeast city of Kerman, Iranian official media first reported a first explosion and then, after 20 minutes, a second one.
There was no one who took credit for the explosions. The explosions seemed to be “a terrorist attack” of the kind that Islamic State terrorists have previously carried out, a senior Biden administration official stated in Washington.
Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, promised retaliation for the deadly double attacks, while Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi denounced the “heinous and inhumane crime”.
According to state media, Khamenei stated in a statement that “cruel criminals… must know that they will be strongly dealt with from now on and… undoubtedly there will be a harsh response.”
The U.N. Secretary-General demanded that those responsible be held accountable, and several nations, including Turkey and Russia, denounced the attacks.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, which has previously seen similar attacks from a variety of groups, including Islamic State, reported that this attack was the bloodiest in its history with 211 people injured and 95 deaths, down from 103, according to Iranian Health Minister Bahram Eynollahi, speaking to state TV.
Although Israel has neither confirmed nor rejected the accusations, Iran has previously held Israel accountable for assaults on specific individuals or locations inside its borders. However, there was no proof that a foreign power was involved in the cemetery bombings.
National security spokesman for the White House John Kirby stated that there has been no evidence that Israel was responsible for the explosions.
“Two explosive devices planted along the road leading to Kerman’s Martyrs’ Cemetery were detonated remotely by terrorists,” an unidentified official informed state news agency IRNA. Israel’s war on Hamas terrorists in Gaza, which it launched in retribution for their October 7th rampage through southern Israel, has escalated tensions between Iran and Israel as well as with the US, its backer.
In the entrance to the Red Sea, one of the busiest maritime channels in the world, the Houthi militia of Yemen, backed by Iran, has attacked ships that they claim have connections to Israel. Because of Washington’s support for Israel, militants supported by Iran have attacked U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Syria. In response, the U.S. has launched retaliatory bombings.