Two explosions took place in the southern Iranian city of Kerman, resulting in the loss of at least 103 lives and leaving 141 others injured. The incidents took place on the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, an IRGC division primarily responsible for extraterritorial and clandestine military operations. Dozens of people were injured in the stampede that followed the blasts.
The explosions, heard in quick succession, occurred near the tomb of General Soleimani. Rescue teams were deployed to assist the injured. Kerman had witnessed a significant influx of visitors, with thousands converging to pay respects at the tomb of Soleimani, who was assassinated in a US drone attack in Baghdad on January 3, 2020.
The first blast happened at 3:04 PM local time as people were packed on a road leading to a cemetery where the tomb of General Soleimani is located. The second blast occurred 13 minutes later.
Sources told the Tasnim news agency that the perpetrator or perpetrators of the attack exploded two suitcases using remote control devices.
Officials in Kerman have stated that the two explosions were linked to terrorism. Rahman Jalali, Kerman’s deputy governor for security, announced on Wednesday that the explosions at the Martyrs Cemetery in the provincial capital of Kerman had been carried out by terrorists.
