In what authorities described as a terror assault, two explosions occurred next to the grave of military leader Qasem Soleimani on Wednesday in the Iranian city of Kerman, killing at least 95 people.
The explosions happened four years after Soleimani was killed in an American airstrike, and state TV said that the blasts were at least partially caused by explosives. Tensions in the region have risen since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, and this might exacerbate them.
According to Iran’s official news agency IRNA, Iranian Health Minister Bahram Eynollahi lowered the death toll down from 103 on Thursday to 95 and stated that 211 people had been wounded.
As pilgrims were visiting the site, the first explosion occurred 2,300 feet (700 meters) from Soleimani’s grave, and the second occurred 0.6 miles (1 km) distant, according to IRNA.
Soleimani was assassinated on Wednesday, April 4, 2017, at Baghdad International Airport by a US airstrike that was authorized by the previous president, Donald Trump.
The first explosion seems to have been triggered by a bomb that was concealed in a suitcase inside a Peugeot 405 car, according to IRINN, another government television channel.
In an interview with Iran’s official news station IRIB, Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi stated that the first explosion occurred around 3:00 p.m. local time (6 a.m. ET). Vahidi claimed that another deadly explosion happened twenty minutes after the first one, just as more pilgrims were coming to help the injured. Large people were seen rushing in the vicinity following the explosion in videos that were released by Iranian official television.
Additionally, footage showed ambulances driving away from the area amid dense crowds and bleeding victims being removed from the scene.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi accused Israel of being behind the explosions, threatening it with a “heavy price,” even though no group has claimed responsibility for them.
In a speech that was broadcast live from Tehran, Raisi stated, “I warn the Zionist regime, do not doubt that you will pay a heavy price for this crime and the crimes you have committed.” Iran’s top official, Alireza Raisi, issued a dire warning, stating that Israel will face “regrettable and severe” consequences.
Even though experts and a US official surmised that the explosion had the characteristics of a terrorist strike.
“I believe it’s purely based on the MO; it appears to be a terrorist act, similar to what ISIS has done in the past. And to the best of our knowledge, that’s currently kind of our working hypothesis,” the official stated.
During a press briefing, US State Department spokeswoman Matt Miller stated that there is “no reason to believe that Israel was involved” and that the US does not “have any independent information” regarding the explosions.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, issued a warning on X, formerly known as Twitter, threatening Iran’s “harsh response.” “They should know that the bright soldiers of the path of Soleimani will not tolerate their wickedness and crimes,” he said, addressing the people responsible for the blasts.
In the wake of the explosions, Iran observed a day of sorrow on Thursday, while Raisi postponed his planned visit to Turkey.
One of the most influential figures in Iran in the past, Soleimani oversaw the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, an elite force that manages Iran’s international activities and which the US designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
“Responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more,” according to the Pentagon, was Soleimani and his soldiers.
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Known as Iran’s “shadow commander,” Soleimani has led the Quds Force since 1998 and oversaw the nation’s military operations in Iraq and Syria.
Longtime Soleimani lieutenant and current head of the Quds Force General Ismail Qaani warned that the criminals were “desperate” and that “the Islamic Republic will not change the method of eradicating the Zionist regime.”
Blast occurs during a stressful time in the area
Known as Iran’s “shadow commander,” Soleimani has led the Quds Force since 1998 and oversaw the nation’s military operations in Iraq and Syria.
The conflict has resulted in clashes outside of Israel and Gaza, frequently involving militias supported by Iran, and has claimed the lives of over 23,000 people in Gaza, according to the enclave’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
A top Hamas official was slain on Tuesday in a bomb in a Beirut suburb, which a US official claimed CNN was orchestrated by Israel. Although Israel hasn’t acknowledged or disputed its role, the terrorist organization Hezbollah, which rules the area, and Hamas have accused Israel of being involved and promised retaliation.
Iran and a number of its military allies declared last week that Israel had killed a top Iranian commander in Syria and threatened to exact revenge. Israel remained silent on the subject.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah declared in a speech commemorating Soleimani’s passing that the murder of the Hamas official in Beirut “won’t go unpunished.”
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Tehran is charged by Israel with equipping and supporting Hamas. According to remarks made by Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant last month, Iran is one of seven venues from which his nation is being assaulted in this “multi-arena war.” “We have addressed and taken action in six of these directives,” he declared.
Following the explosions, Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced “terrorism in all its forms” in a letter to President Ebrahim Raisi and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of Iran on Wednesday. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest order for Putin, who has been charged with many terror attacks during his war in Ukraine by both Kyiv and other international organizations.
Antonio Guterres, the head of the UN and the European Union, both denounced the explosions on Wednesday and demanded that those guilty be brought to justice.
Additionally, the US has lately increased its military presence in the Middle East. Following an incident that left three US soldiers injured, the Pentagon launched airstrikes against Kataib Hezbollah, which receives support from Iran, and “affiliated groups” in Iraq last month.
Furthermore, last week, US helicopters shot down three Houthi rebel-affiliated vessels in the Red Sea when they came under fire, killing all of the occupants.
According to the White House, it wasn’t looking for a larger fight. As payback for Israel’s strike on Hamas, the Houthis have attacked many cargo ships in the Red Sea, obstructing trade in one of the most significant waterways in the world.