Iran accused Israel and the United States of the attack that left at least 95 dead in the south of the country on Wednesday, where a crowd commemorated the fourth anniversary of the death of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
The attack, two explosions with an interval of 15 minutes, It occurred in full tension in the Middle East and one day after the assassination of the number two of Hamas in Beirut, in an attack that Lebanese authorities attributed to Israel.
(Also read: Iranian supreme leader promises 'tough response' for double explosion that left 103 dead).
The explosions took place near the Saheb al Zaman mosque, where Soleimani's tomb is located, in the city of Kerman.
Photograph of assassinated General Qasem Soleimani during his funeral processions.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack at the moment. General Qasem Soleimani was killed at age 62 by the United States in a drone attack outside Baghdad airport (Iraq) on January 3, 2020.
“Washington says that the United States and Israel had nothing to do with the terrorist attack in Kerman, Iran. Really? (…) Make no mistake. Responsibility for this crime lies with the American and Zionist regimesand terrorism is just a tool,” said Mohammad Jamshidi, advisor to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
The United States denied that Israel or itself were involved “in any way”and a senior official stated that “it looks like a terrorist attack, the kind of thing that IS (the Islamic State group) has done in the past.”
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.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi
EFE/ IRANIAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE
The official IRNA news agency indicated that 103 people died and state television He stated that 211 people were injured and some of them were in critical condition. Health Minister Bahram Eynollahi later revised the figure and stated that “the exact death toll in the terrorist attack is 95.”
According to IRNA, The first explosion occurred 700 meters from Soleimani's tomb, and the second one kilometer away. Images spread online showed the crowd trying to flee the scene while security personnel cordoned off the area.
(Keep reading: Argentine justice orders seizure of Venezuelan-Iranian plane requested by the US).
Iran's Tasnim news agency said “two bags of bombs exploded.” “The perpetrators… apparently detonated the bombs by remote control,” she added.
'Tough response'
“We were walking towards the cemetery when, suddenly, a vehicle stopped behind us and a trash can containing a bomb exploded,” a witness told the ISNA agency.
Qasem Soleimani was one of the most powerful and influential men in the Iranian regime. Therefore, after his death, there are fears of retaliation from extremists.
The Islamic Republic declared a day of national mourning on Thursday and President Raisi, who canceled a trip planned for Thursday to Turkey according to state media, condemned this “hateful” attack.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday promised a “tough response” to the “evil and criminal enemies of the nation.” As night fell, the crowd returned to the scene chanting, “Death to Israel!” and “Death to America!”
“We condemn today's bitter terrorist attack (…) I hope that the perpetrators of the crime are identified and punished for their actions,” declared Soleimani's daughter, Zeinab. 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.”
For his part, the diplomatic chief of the European Union, Josep Borrell condemned the attack in a conversation with the Iranian Minister of Foreign AffairsHossein Amir-Abdollahian.
“I condemn this terrorist attack in the strongest terms and express (my) solidarity with the Iranian people,” Borrell said on social media. Russian President Vladimir Putin 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 attack. Hamas, an ally of Iran, denounced the “criminal attack”, while the Saudi Foreign Ministry expressed its “solidarity with Iran in this painful event.”
'Terrorist' conspiracies
Iran has long been fighting a shadow war of assassinations and sabotage with its enemy Israel, in addition to fighting various jihadist and armed groups. In September, The Fars news agency reported that an affiliate of the Islamic State group, tasked with carrying out “terrorist operations” in Iran, He was arrested in Kerman.
(We recommend: They execute a woman in Iran who was forced to marry at the age of 15 and killed her husband.)
In July, Iranian intelligence services said they had dismantled a network they said was “linked to Israel's spy organization” and planning “terrorist operations” across Iran, including “an explosion at the grave” of Soleimani. , according to Irna.
General Soleimani, head of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards – Iran's ideological army – He was in charge of Iranian foreign operations, especially in the Middle East. Soleimani was one of the country's most popular personalities and was considered a hero for his role in defeating the Islamic State group in both Iraq and Syria. The United States and its allies long considered it the sworn enemy.
After his death in 2020, Ayatollah Khamenei, who often referred to him as a “living martyr,” declared three days of national mourning.
AFP
#Iran #accuses #Israel #United #States #attack #left #dead
