Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, promised this Wednesday a “harsh response” to the two explosions that killed at least 103 people in the south of the country.
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“The evil and criminal enemies of the Iranian nation once again created a disaster and martyred a large number of loved people in Kerman,” Khamenei said in a statement, adding that “This disaster will have a harsh response, God willing”.
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At least 103 people died this Wednesday when two bombs exploded in the middle of a crowd commemorating the fourth anniversary of the death of General Qasem Soleimani, Iranian state media reported.
The explosions occurred in full tension in the Middle East and a day after the number two of Hamas, Saleh Al Aruri, an ally of Iran, died in an attack in Beirutwhich Lebanese authorities attributed to Israel.
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Photograph of assassinated General Qasem Soleimani during his funeral processions.
The explosions, which occurred about 15 minutes apart, took place near the Saheb al Zaman mosque, where Soleimani's tomb is located, in the southern Iranian city of Kerman. Rahman Jalali, deputy governor of Kerman province, declared on state television that it was “a terrorist attack.”
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, the deadliest in the country since the Islamic revolution of 1979.
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State television indicated that 211 people were injured and some of them are in critical condition. Among the dead are three paramedics who rushed to the scene after the first explosion, the Iranian Red Crescent said.
According to Irna, the first explosion occurred 700 meters from the tomb of Soleimani, who died at the age of 62 in a 2020 attack by an American drone outside the Baghdad airport (Iraq), and the second one kilometer further away.
The Islamic Republic declared a day of national mourning on Thursday and President Ebrahim Raisi, who canceled a planned trip to Turkey on Thursday according to state media, condemned this “hateful” attack.
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We are focused on the fight against Hamas.
Washington claimed that “the United States was not involved in any way and any insinuation to the contrary is ridiculous,” and that he had “no reason” to believe Israel had anything to do with it.
Israel, a declared enemy of Iran, did not comment on the attack. “We are focused on the fight against Hamas,” said army spokesman Daniel Hagari.
In a statement, the Venezuelan government, an important ally of Iran in the region, condemned “in the strongest terms” the attack and asked that “those responsible for such repudiated acts be punished.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday condemned an attack “scandalous in its cruelty and cynicism.” Iraq called it a “terrorist” act, as did the European Union, which expressed “its solidarity with the Iranian people.”
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also “firmly” condemned the double explosion.
AFP
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