IS Claims Responsibility for Blasts Near Iran General's Grave That Killed 100

Twin blasts occurred near the burial site of slain military commander Qasem Soleimani in Iran's Kerman city.

Qasem Soleimani.

(Photo Courtesy: X)

At least 103 people were killed and 141 injured in twin blasts near the burial site of slain Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in the country's Kerman city on Wednesday, 3 January.

The Islamic State (IS) on Thursday, 4 December, claimed responsibility for the attack, Reuters reported.

Details: The first blast rocked the site around 700 metres away from Soleimani’s grave while the second one took place around a kilometre away, according to the IRNA news agency.

• Purported visuals circulating on social media showed dozens of people running in panic after the blasts.

What did officials say? While officials initially suspected that the blasts were caused by a gas explosion, they later attributed them to a "terrorist attack".

• "Two explosive devices planted along the road leading to Kerman's Martyrs' Cemetery were detonated remotely by terrorists," an official told IRNA.

• Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said that the first explosion occurred at around 3:00 PM local time. However, the majority of casualties resulted from the second explosion as several people had assembled to assist in the aftermath of the first blast.

Who was Qasem Soleimani? Soleimani was killed in an airstrike ordered by former United States President Donald Trump at the Baghdad Airport in January 2020.

• One of Iran's most influential officials, Soleimani served as the chief of the country's elite Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force – which has been deemed as a terrorist organisation by the US.