At least 103 people have died as result of bomb explosions – State TV

At least 103 people died in two bomb blasts near the tomb of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on the fourth anniversary of his killing by the US, according to Iran’s state media.

The state broadcaster Irib reported that many people were hurt when bombs exploded during a procession near the Saheb al-Zaman mosque in the southern city of Kerman.

The deputy governor of Kerman said it was a terrorist attack.

Videos showed dead people on a road and ambulances going quickly to the place.

It was not known who caused the explosions and no groups claimed responsibility right away.

Arab groups and Sunni terrorist organizations like Islamic State have claimed responsibility for attacks on security forces and Shia religious sites in the country.

Soleimani was a very important person in Iran, second only to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He was killed by a US drone in Iraq in 2020.

On Wednesday, something happened that made tensions in the area higher. The deputy leader of a group called Hamas, which is supported by Iran, was killed by what seems to be a drone from Israel in Lebanon.

Video shown on state TV showed many people gathered on the edge of the general’s hometown of Kerman when two explosions happened.

The Iranian media said that the first explosion happened at 2:50 pm local time (11:20 GMT), about 700 meters (2,300 feet) from the Garden of Martyrs cemetery near the Saheb al-Zaman mosque.

The second incident happened about 15 minutes later, about 1 kilometer away from the cemetery, according to them.

The Tasnim news agency, which is connected to the Revolutionary Guards, reported that sources said two bags carrying bombs were exploded by remote control.

“We were walking to the cemetery when a car suddenly stopped behind us and a trash can with a bomb inside exploded,” a person who saw it happen told Isna news agency.

“We heard a boom and saw people dropping to the ground. ”

The local emergency services department said that 103 people died and 141 were hurt in the explosions, as reported by the state media. Some of the injured people were very badly hurt, they said.

The Iranian Red Crescent reported that among the people who died, there was at least one paramedic who went to help with the first explosion and got hurt by the second one.

It looked like Soleimani’s tomb was not harmed.

He was in charge of the Revolutionary Guards’ overseas operations and had a big role in making decisions for Iran in other countries.

He was in charge of secret missions for the Quds Force and gave help and support to governments and armed groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

Former US President Donald Trump ordered the killing of Soleimani in 2020 and called him the top terrorist in the world.