Over 100 dead in Iran ‘terrorist’ blasts near Qasem Soleimani’s grave

DOGRA HERALD BUREAU
NEW DELHI, Jan 3
Over 100 people were killed and 170 injured in twin explosions near assassinated commander Qassem Soleimani’s cemetery in the southern city of Iran’s Kerman, reported Iranian state media.
The explosions occurred during the ceremony held to mark the killing of Iran’s top commander in a US drone attack at Baghdad airport in 2020. The diplomatic relationship between Washington and Tehran had touched a new low after Solemani’s killing.
The semi-official Nournews claimed, “several gas canisters exploded on the road leading to the cemetery”.
“The blasts were caused by terrorist attacks,” state media quoted a local official in the Kerman province as saying.
According to news agency Reuters, state TV showed Red Crescent rescuers attending to wounded people at the ceremony, where hundreds of Iranians had gathered to mark Soleimani’s death anniversary.
“Our rapid response teams are evacuating the injured… But there are waves of crowds blocking roads,” Reza Fallah, head of the Kerman province Red Crescent told state TV.
Tehran has declared Thursday a day of mourning following blasts.
“Following the terrorist incident in Kerman, the government declared tomorrow (Thursday) a day for public mourning across the country,” state television announced on Wednesday.
The United States assassinated Solemani in 2020 on former president Donald Trump’s orders.
The targeting strike was in response to his alleged role in killing “millions of people,” including attacks against American personnel in the region, Trump had said, justifying Soleimani’s elimination.
The Iranian commander, Major General Qasem Suleimani, who led the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, was blown to bits along with some of his Iraqi allies by missiles fired from an American MQ-9 Reaper drone as they were driving across the tarmac of Baghdad airport after arriving from Damascus, Syria, where Iran is backing the Russia-supported Bashar-al Assad regime.