Dubai – The Islamic State yesterday claimed responsibility for two explosions that killed 84 people and injured dozens at a ceremony in Iran to commemorate the death of commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020 by a US drone.
In a statement posted on its affiliated Telegram channels, the Sunni group said two members detonated their explosive belts in the crowd that had gathered at the cemetery in the southeastern Iranian city of Kerman on Wednesday for the anniversary of Soleimani’s death.
Earlier, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber promised revenge for what happened. Tehran had attributed the explosions to unidentified “terrorists.”
“There will be a very strong retaliation at the hands of Soleimani’s soldiers,” Mokhber told reporters at a hospital where some of the wounded were being treated for the bloodiest attack since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
An anonymous source told state news agency IRNA that the first explosion in the cemetery in the southeastern city of Kerman “was the result of the action of a suicide bomber.” “Most likely the cause of the second explosion was the same,” he added.
In a statement, the United Nations Security Council condemned the “cowardly terrorist attack” and sent its condolences to the families of the victims and the Iranian government.
State television showed crowds gathering in a dozen cities in Iran, including Kerman, Soleimani’s hometown, chanting: “Death to Israel” and “Death to the United States.”
Iranian authorities have called for massive protests for today, the day on which the funerals of the victims of the attacks will be held, state media reported.
In a statement, Iran’s powerful Guard described Wednesday’s attack as a cowardly act “aimed at creating insecurity and seeking revenge against the nation’s deep love and devotion to the Islamic Republic.” They also said the attack “reinforces the determination to decisively and fairly punish the perpetrators.”
Reuters Agency
Source: Ambito
