More than 100 people were killed at an event honoring former Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani on Wednesday in what local authorities are calling a “terrorist” attack.
Thousands of Iranians had gathered at Soleimani’s gravesite in Kerman to mark the fourth anniversary of his death — carrying photos of the former head of the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force when authorities say two bombs went off.
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The first explosion occurred just 700 meters from Soleimani’s grave, while the second was a kilometer away, Iranian national media reports.
Graphic video shared online later showed the crowds running away as emergency crews responded to the scene, with bodies lying in the ground.
The footage suggested that the second blast occurred some 15 minutes after the first — a tactic often used by terrorist groups to target emergency responders and increase the death toll.
The two bombs were reportedly placed in suitcases and detonated remotely.
“The blasts were caused by terrorist attacks,” one local official said. “Several gas canisters exploded on the road leading to the cemetery.”
The death toll from the explosions rose quickly Wednesday morning, with the head of Kerman’s emergency services telling state-run media it was at 103 by 10 a.m. EST.
“The agents and perpetrators of this grievous crime will undoubtedly be punished,” Mohseni-Ejei said in a statement, according to Al-Jazeera.
“Responsible intelligence, security and law enforcement agencies are obligated to promptly pursue all the evidence and perpetrators and hand them over to the judiciary.”
But Iran has multiple enemies who could be behind it, including exile groups, militant organizations and state actors.
The country has provided financial support to Hamas, as well as Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels — all of whom are currently fighting Israel.
Israel in the past has been accused of carrying out drone strikes on Iranian military facilities, and Sunni terrorist groups, like ISIS, have carried out bombings on civilian targets in the majority Shia nation.
Who was Soleimani?
Qassem Soleimani was regarded as a national hero among supporters of Iran’s theocracy, but was also considered a threat to American interests after he helped armed terrorists with roadside bombs that killed and maimed US troops.
He helped secure Syrian President Bashar Assad’s victory after the 2011 Arab Spring protests against him turned into a civil war.
In 2020, then-President Trump killed the general in a drone strike.
“If we get word of attacks, we will take preemptive action as well to protect American forces, protect American lives. The game has changed,” Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said following the attack.
He also said in a statement that Soleimani “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.
“This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans,” Esper added.
The blasts struck an event marking the fourth anniversary of the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani (left), the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force.
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The blasts struck an event marking the fourth anniversary of the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani (left side of mural), the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force. AP
But Soleimani’s death has sparked backlash and widespread protests against the United States ever since.
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