The Iranian Emergency Services reported that the death toll from two terrorist explosions near the former Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani's tomb in Kerman province, southern Iran, has risen to 103, with 141 injured.
Kerman province is currently witnessing ceremonies and events to commemorate the fourth anniversary of Soleimani's assassination, with widespread participation from all Iranian regions.
Iranian state television reported that there were two explosions during the ceremonies near the "Saheb al-Zaman" mosque in Kerman province, where Soleimani is buried.
Additionally, the Iranian news agency quoted an informed security source saying that "the explosions in Kerman were caused by the remote detonation of two explosive devices."
Earlier, the semi-official "Nour News" agency had reported that "several gas canisters exploded on the road leading to the cemetery." Meanwhile, Iranian state television cited an unnamed official stating that the Kerman explosions were a "terrorist attack."
State television showcased Red Crescent rescue workers treating the injured at the explosion site.
The head of the Red Crescent in the Kerman region, Reza Fallah, told state television that "our rapid response teams are evacuating the injured… but waves of crowds are blocking the roads."
Sources indicate that a number of casualties near Qasem Soleimani's shrine in #Iran fell victim to the stampede that ensued in panic at the moment of the explosions#News
— Al Jazeera Channel (@AJArabic) January 3, 2024
Condemnations
In the first official response, Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi declared that the Kerman explosions are a new conspiracy that our forces will crush and respond to swiftly and decisively.
President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, stated that "revenge against those behind the terrorist attack in Kerman is inevitable and definitive."
The Iranian Vice President, Mohammad Mokhber, mentioned that "pure blood of our innocent people has been shed in Kerman by the agents of the Zionist entity and its supporters."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan offered his condolences to the Iranian people for the victims of the Kerman attacks on Wednesday.
Erdoğan expressed on the X social networking platform, "We felt deep sorrow for the vile terrorist attacks that occurred in Iran's Kerman province."
On January 3, 2020, Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Deputy Head of the Popular Mobilization Forces, were killed in an American airstrike near Baghdad.
