KERMAN, Iran — Dozens of people were killed in the Iranian city of Kerman on Wednesday after twin blasts near the burial site of slain military commander Qasem Soleimani, in what officials called a terror attack.
The blasts, at least one of which was caused by a bomb, state TV said, came on the fourth anniversary of Soleimani’s death in a US airstrike and threaten to accelerate tensions in the region that have spiked since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
At least 84 people were killed and 284 others injured, according to state-run news agency IRNA, citing Jafar Miadfar, head of Iran’s national emergency agency. The toll was revised down due to the miscounting of body parts.
No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi blamed Israel for the explosions, saying it will pay a “heavy price.”
“I warn the Zionist regime, do not doubt that you will pay a heavy price for this crime and the crimes you have committed,” Raisi said in a televised speech from Tehran. Raisi, who is the head of the Iranian government, warned that Israel’s punishment will be “regrettable and severe.”
The first explosion was 2,300 feet (700 meters) from Soleimani’s grave, and the second was 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) away as pilgrims visited the site, IRNA reported.
Soleimani was killed by a US airstrike ordered by former President Donald Trump at Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020.
IRINN, another state television channel, reported that the first explosion near the grave of Soleimani was caused by a bomb placed in a suitcase inside a Peugeot 405 car, and appeared to be detonated remotely.
Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the first explosion happened at 3:00 p.m. local time (6 a.m. ET) during an interview with Iran’s state news channel IRIB. Vahidi said the second, more deadly blast took place 20 minutes later, when other pilgrims came to help the injured.
Videos posted on Iranian state media showed large crowds running in the area after the explosion.
Footage also showed bloodied bodies being transported from the scene, and ambulances leaving the site through large crowds.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on social media that Iran will have a “harsh response.” Addressing those behind the explosions, he wrote: “They should know that the bright soldiers of the path of Soleimani will not tolerate their wickedness and crimes.”
Iran declared Thursday a day of mourning following the blasts, and Raisi canceled his upcoming trip to Turkey.
Formerly one of Iran’s most powerful men, Soleimani was head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, an elite unit that handles Iran’s overseas operations and was deemed to be a foreign terrorist organization by the US.