In what authorities described as a terror assault, twin explosions near the grave of military leader Qasem Soleimani on Wednesday left at least 73 people dead and 170 injured in the Iranian city of Kerman, according to state television.
As pilgrims were visiting the shrine, the first explosion occurred 700 meters from Soleimani’s grave, and the second occurred a kilometer (0.6 miles) 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 Deputy Governor for Political and Security was quoted by IRNA as adding that it’s not apparent if a terrorist assault or a gas explosion caused the tragedy.
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Large people were seen rushing in the vicinity following the explosion in videos that were released by Iranian official television.
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.
Soleimani, who has commanded the Quds Force since 1998 and was referred to as Iran’s “shadow commander,” was in charge of the country’s military activities in Syria and Iraq.
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