TEHRAN (AP) — Two explosions near the burial site of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who killed him on Wednesday, killed at least 103 other people and wounded more than 170, the official IRNA news firm and the semi-official Fars news firm reported. , calling them “terrorist” attacks.
The explosions occurred as dozens of people gathered at the Kerman cemetery in southeastern Iran to mark the fourth anniversary of Soleimani’s death in a U. S. drone strike.
The first explosion occurred about 700 meters from Soleimani’s grave and about a kilometer away, IRNA said.
Rahman Jalali, deputy governor of Kerman province in charge of political and security affairs, said the blasts were carried out by “terrorists,” IRNA reported.
Babak Yektaparast, a spokesman for Iran’s National Medical Emergency Organization, told the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN) that some of the injured were in critical condition and that the death toll could rise.
IRINN said the cause of the explosions was still being investigated and rescue teams were at the scene. He added that most of the injuries were caused by overcrowding and panic.
Soleimani, one of Iran’s toughest military commanders, killed on Jan. 3, 2020, near Baghdad’s international airport, in a drone strike ordered by then-President Donald Trump.
He was buried in his hometown of Kerman after a funeral that drew millions of mourners across Iran. Iran denounced the killing as “state terrorism” and vowed revenge.