The New Arab Staff & Agencies
03 January, 2024
At least 103 people were killed in Iran, as two blasts struck a crowd marking the anniversary of the 2020 killing of General Qassem Soleimani
At least 20 people killed in blasts at ceremony that was honoring slain Iranian general in Iran's Kerman province
Two explosions caused by a "terrorist attack" killed at least 103 people and wounded dozens near a cemetery in Iran on Wednesday where a ceremony was being held to mark the 2020 death of the country's top commander Qassem Soleimani.
Iranian state television reported a first and then a second explosion during the ceremony in the southeastern city of Kerman, saying at least 103 people had been killed.
"The incident is a terrorist attack," Rahman Jalali, the deputy governor of the Kerman province told state media.
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The blasts stuck near the Saheb al-Zaman Mosque in Kerman, Soleimani's southern hometown where he is buried, as supporters gathered to mark the fourth anniversary of his death in a US drone strike just outside Baghdad airport.
The semi-official Nournews had said earlier that "several gas canisters exploded on the road leading to the cemetery".
State TV showed Red Crescent rescuers attending to wounded people at the ceremony, where hundreds of Iranians had gathered to mark the anniversary of Soleimani's death.
"Our rapid response teams are evacuating the injured... But there are waves of crowds blocking roads," Reza Fallah, head of the Kerman province Red Crescent told state TV.
At least 141 people were also wounded in the bombings, state media said, adding that some were in "critical condition".
Among those killed were three paramedics who were dispatched to the area following the first explosion, according to Iran's Red Crescent.
Iran's Tasnim news agency, quoting informed sources, said "two bags carrying bombs went off" at the site.
"The perpetrators ... of this incident apparently detonated the bombs by remote control," Tasnim added.
The ISNA news agency quoted Kerman mayor Saeed Tabrizi as saying the bombs exploded 10 minutes apart.
Online footage showed crowds scrambling to flee as security personnel cordoned off the area.
Images on state television showed several ambulances and rescue personnel in the area.
Soleimani was head of the IRGC's Quds Force when he was assassinated in a US drone attack in Baghdad in 2020 on the orders of former President Donald Trump.
His fighters helped prop up Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad and defeat the Islamic State group in Iraq.
Editor note: This story has been edited to reflect updated death toll
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