(WatchDogReport.org) – A pair of explosions at the memorial of Iranian former top general Qassim Suleimani wounded over 20 people and killed nearly 100 on January 3. Iranian officials told state media that the bombs were placed in two different locations along the highway that leads to Kerman’s cemetery. The officials explained that the explosives detonated when people were walking the way there to commemorate the fourth anniversary of Suleimani’s death.
Suleimani was the commander of Iran’s elite Quds Forces and was considered the main leader of the axis of Iranian-backed militias in the Middle East, which have committed numerous attacks against US troops over the last few years. Suleimani was neutralized in an American drone strike.
Iranian officials said that the bombs seemed to have been detonated through a remote control. Meanwhile, Iranian news agency Rah-e-Arman-e-Kerman said that a male witness noted that the explosive was “massive” and said that most of the victims were women and children.
Following the incident, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a statement that blamed Iran’s “criminals” and “malicious” enemies for the attack. He didn’t name any country or foreign government and noted that the Iranian regime would support the families of the victims. Khamenei also claimed that the country’s “enemies” all over the world “must know” that Tehran will deliver a “strong response.”
During a televised speech, Iranian President Ebrahim Raise said that the “Zionist regime” and “criminal America” will pay a “high price” for the “crimes committed.”
Initially, no one had taken responsibility for the attack, leading some members of the Iranian opposition to claim that the Iranian government itself was to blame. However, on Thursday, January 4, ISIS issued a statement admitting to being behind the explosions.
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