Suicide bomber behind at least one Iran blast, state media says

DPA
·2 min read
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A view of the scene after explosions at a commemoration ceremony next to the tomb of Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief of foreign operations Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in the Saheb al-Zaman mosque. With around 100 people dead, Iran's government called the blasts a terrorist attack. The causes of the deadliest attack in the 45-year history of the Islamic Republic remain unclear. Fars/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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One of the two blasts that killed dozens of people near the tomb of Iranian general Quassem Soleimani on the fourth anniversary of his assassination by the United States was caused by a suicide bomber, a state-run media outlet reported on Thursday.

The evaluation of video surveillance led investigators to the conclusion that a bomber was behind at least one of the explosions that hit the crowd in Soleimani's home city of Kerman on Wednesday, the IRNA news agency reported on Telegram, citing an unnamed source.

Who or what triggered the second bombing a short time later have yet to be determined, but a suicide blast has also not been ruled out in that instance either, the report said.

Iran's emergency services on Thursday put the death toll at 84, with 284 other people injured. In the immediate aftermath of the attack on Soleimani's mourners the number of dead had been put at over 100.

The head of Iran's National Medical Emergency Organization, Jafar Miadfar, attributed the confusion surrounding the casualty figures with the condition of the bodies.

Iran's government called it a terrorist attack. But the leadership in Tehran has reacted cautiously and avoided apportioning blame.

There has been no claim of responsibility.

Soleimani, who had led the Quds Force of Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), was killed in a US drone strike in Iraq in 2020.

In Washington, the State Department has rejected speculation the US was involved in the attack and said there was no reason to believe Israel was behind it either.

A view of the scene after explosions at a commemoration ceremony next to the tomb of Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief of foreign operations Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in the Saheb al-Zaman mosque. With around 100 people dead, Iran's government called the blasts a terrorist attack. The causes of the deadliest attack in the 45-year history of the Islamic Republic remain unclear. Fars/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa