KERMAN, Iran – Iranian officials used a mass funeral for some of the 89 people killed in an Islamic State group-claimed suicide bombing to accuse Israel and the U.S. of involvement, attempting to link the attack to wider Middle East tensions from the Israel-Hamas war. The officials made these claims without providing any evidence. The crowd at the funeral responded with chants of “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the top commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard sought to make the link without offering evidence for their claims. Iranian state television also sought to link America to the attack by rebroadcasting comments from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, who wrongly accused then-President Barack Obama of being the “founder” of the extremist group. Critics have blamed Obama’s decision to pull troops from Iraq in 2011 for allowing the group to thrive.
The attack took place during a commemoration for Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, killed in 2020 by a U.S. drone strike as he led its expeditionary Quds Force. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, naming the two bombers and describing it as part of a new campaign linked to Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip. It’s unclear why the Iranian leaders chose to focus on the U.S. and Israel, rather than on the Islamic State group, during their remarks.
The attacks have sparked condemnation from around the world, even amid Iran’s wider tensions with the West over its nuclear program. The Islamic State group has grown stronger in recent years in neighboring Afghanistan, just 360 kilometers east of Kerman, since the Western-backed government in Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021.
At least 12 of the dead in Wednesday’s bombings were Afghans. The Iranian retaliation to IS-claimed attacks in the past included launching ballistic missiles into Syria. The Islamic State group has changed leadership since 2014 but remains a potent threat in the region.
In conclusion, the recent bombings in Kerman, Iran have brought renewed attention to the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, particularly regarding Iran’s accusations against Israel and the U.S. in the wake of the Islamic State group-claimed suicide bombing. The attack is a stark reminder of the persistent threat posed by extremist groups in the region.