At least 103 people were killed Wednesday and 141 injured in the Iranian city of Kerman after twin blasts near the burial site of slain military commander Qasem Soleimani, in what officials called a terror attack, according to state media.
The blast came on the fourth anniversary of Soleimani’s death in a US air strike and threatens to accelerate tensions in the region that have spiked since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The first explosion was 2,300 feet (700 meters) from Soleimani’s grave, and the second was 0.6 miles (1 kilometre) away as pilgrims visited the site, IRNA added.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the blasts.
Videos posted on Iranian state media showed large crowds running in the area after the explosion.
Footage also showed bloodied bodies being transported from the scene, and ambulances leaving the site through large crowds.
Formerly one of Iran’s most powerful men, Soleimani was head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, an elite unit that handles Iran’s overseas operations and was deemed to be a foreign terrorist organisation by the US.
The Pentagon says Soleimani and his troops were “responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more.”
Known as Iran’s “shadow commander,” Soleimani – who had led the Quds Force since 1998 – was the mastermind of Iranian military operations in Iraq and Syria.
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