At a ceremony held in Iran on Wednesday to honour commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by a US drone in 2020, two explosions claimed nearly 100 lives and numerous 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 state television reported a first explosion and then, after 20 minutes, a second one.
Nobody took credit for the explosions. According to a senior Biden administration official in Washington, the explosions seemed to be “a terrorist attack” similar to ones that Islamic State militants have previously carried out.
Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, promised retaliation for the “heinous and inhumane crime,” and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi denounced it. “Cruel criminals … must know that they will be strongly dealt with from now on and … undoubtedly there will be a harsh response,” Khamenei said in a statement, according to state media.
The UN Secretary-General demanded that those responsible for the attacks be held accountable, and a number of nations, including Russia and Turkey, denounced the attacks.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, which has previously experienced similar attacks from a variety of groups, including Islamic State, said that this attack was the deadliest 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 denied the accusations, Iran has previously held Israel accountable for attacks on specific individuals or locations inside its borders. However, there was no proof that a foreign state was involved in the cemetery explosions.
