Dozens dead in Iran after blasts strike Qassem Soleimani memorial – POLITICO
More than 100 people were killed and dozens more injured in Iran after two explosions went off near the tomb of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani on Wednesday, according to local media reports.
Iran’s state media reported that at least two explosions occurred in the cemetery in the city of Kerman, where hundreds of people were commemorating Soleimani’s death four years ago. The feared general led Iran’s paramilitary Quds force before being killed by a U.S. drone strike in January 2020.
According to Iranian state news agency IRNA, 103 people died and around 140 injured people were taken to hospitals.
Officials are investigating the cause of the explosions. IRNA reported that Iranian authorities believe it was a terrorist attack, citing Kerman’s deputy governor for security, Rahman Jalali.
The first blast went off 700 meters away from Soleimani’s tomb, while the second explosion happened minutes later about one kilometer away from the grave.
Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said in a televised interview Wednesday afternoon that the situation in Kerman was “normal and everything is under the control of the security and law enforcement forces.
“This act of terrorism will lead to a powerful and overwhelming response from the security and military forces in the shortest time,” he added.
As head of the Quds force, a unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps which is behind much of the country’s military actions outside its borders, Soleimani was a hugely popular figure in Iran.
His assassination in 2020, ordered by then-U.S. President Donald Trump, escalated tensions between America and Iran, leading to a series of regional retaliatory actions from Tehran.
In a statement, the EU said it “condemns in the strongest terms today’s bombing in the city of Kerman in Iran. The EU expresses its solidarity with the Iranian people. This act of terror has exacted a shocking toll of civilian deaths and injuries.”
This story has been updated.
