At least 103 killed, 170 injured in deadly explosion in Iran
At least 103 people were killed and 170 injured in two deadly explosions in the Iranian city of Kerman on Wednesday, according to Iranian emergency services officials.
The explosions occurred on the fourth anniversary of the killing of Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.
According to reports, the explosions occurred near the “Shahid-e-Kerman” cemetery, where Soleimani is buried.
There have been conflicting reports about the nature of the explosions from various sources in Iran.
Shortly after the incident, the mayor of Kerman attributed the event to the explosion of gas cylinders. However, Hossein Jalili, a member of parliament from Rafsanjan, called the Kerman explosions a suicide bombing.
The Tasnim news agency reported: “At the entrance to the Shahid-e-Kerman cemetery, there were two motorcycles that had been planted with bombs. The perpetrators of this incident apparently detonated the bombs with a remote control The explosions occurred at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and the United States. The United States has imposed a number of sanctions on Iran in recent months, and Iran has responded by increasing its nuclear activities.
It is not yet clear who is responsible for the Kerman explosions. However, the timing of the attacks and the fact that they occurred near the site of Soleimani’s grave suggest that they may have been carried out by a group opposed to the Iranian government.
The Iranian government has vowed to bring the perpetrators of the attacks to justice.