Twin blasts in Kerman kill 95 near grave of slain Iranian general

At least 95 people were killed and about 140 injured in Iran after two explosions struck on the fourth anniversary of the death of general Qassem Soleimani in his home city of Kerman, state-run media reported on Wednesday.

Crowds of people had made a pilgrimage through Kerman's streets to Soleimani's grave site. The explosions are said to have occurred just a few hundred metres away.

Twenty-seven of those injured are in critical condition, according to several Iranian media reports.

More than 100 patients were operated on in hospitals after the attack, the reports said.

Rescue workers were among the casualties, according to reports citing the Health Ministry.

The Iranian government described the attacks as terrorism.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility.

Terrorist attacks on this scale are extremely rare in Iran.

State television showed rescuers rushing to a hospital with injured people in the background.

Pictures of the attack aftermath showed blood-covered pavements, damaged vehicles and shredded clothing. In a clip broadcast live on state television, a bang and screams could be heard.

Kerman was the home of Soleimani, the former commander of foreign units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The United States killed him in a drone attack in Iraq on January 3, 2020.

Soleimani is revered as a martyr by government supporters. Propaganda images of the general are also emblazoned on the walls of buildings in the capital Tehran.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed a harsh response.

"They should know that this catastrophic act will result in a harsh response, God willing," Khamenei said, according to a statement published in state media.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi also strongly condemned the attack. He told the authorities to alleviate the suffering of the victims and those who were injured, while also demanding a decisive response.

"Undoubtedly, the perpetrators and commanders of this cowardly act will soon be identified and ... punished for their heinous act," he was quoted as saying.

Iran's interior minister also said the perpetrators would be brought to justice, according to reports by state news agency IRNA.

Minister Ahmad Vahidi said of the possible background to the attacks, "We have information, but it needs to be confirmed."

Raisi also cancelled his first state visit to Turkey. His trip to Ankara, originally planned for Thursday, has been postponed, the Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on Telegram.

UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the attack in the strongest possible terms and said those responsible must be brought to justice.

The EU also condemned the bombing and expressed solidarity with the Iranian people, according to the European Union's diplomatic service.

"This act of terror has exacted a shocking toll of civilian deaths and injuries. Our thoughts now are with the victims and their families. Perpetrators must be held accountable," a spokesperson said in a statement posted on X.

Germany's Foreign Office joined those condemning the attack as an act of terrorism.

"We are deeply saddened by the many deaths in today's explosions in #Kerman, including many children," the ministry wrote on X. "We condemn this act of terror."

The people of Iran deserve a future in peace and security, the ministry said.

Washington expressed condolences for those affected and underlined the US had not been involved.

"With respect to the explosions in Iran today, what I'll say we have been following the reports rather closely, we don't have any independent information to offer on them. We do express our sympathies to the victims and their loved ones who died in this horrific explosion," said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

"It's too early - at least for us - to be able to say, what might have caused it. But I do want to address some of the irresponsible claims that I have seen circulate and say that, number one, the United States was not involved in any way. And any suggestion to the contrary is ridiculous. And number two, we have no reason to believe that Israel was involved in this explosion."

His comments come amid soaring tensions in the region and fears the conflict between Israel and Hamas will spread.

The conflict began on October 7, unleashed by terrorist attacks by Islamist Hamas and other extremist groups in southern Israel. They killed around 1,200 people.

Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive, in which more than 22,313 people have been killed so far, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority in Gaza.

The conflict has also lead to clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, which is allied with Hamas and also supported by Iran.

Later on Wednesday, the secretary general of the Lebanese Shia organization Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, gave a speech to mark the anniversary of Soleimani's death, in comments that were closely watched.

He focused on the killing of Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri on Tuesday, calling it a "blatant Israeli attack" on Beirut and reiterated that the assassination of al-Arouri would not pass without punishment.