Iran has suffered the worst attack in 42 years, raising regional tensions

On January 3, local time, two explosions occurred in Kerman City, Iran. According to the latest report of CCTV News, 95 people have been killed in the explosion.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the commemoration of the fourth anniversary of the death of the late Iranian senior general Qassem Soleimani was held in the city of Kerman on the same day. The two explosions occurred near Soleimani's grave, a few minutes apart, when hundreds of people gathered to attend the commemoration.

After the incident, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Raisi condemned the incident as a "terrorist crime" and vowed to "bring to justice" those responsible for the attack. Iran will hold a national moment of silence for the victims on January 4, while Kerman province will declare three days of mourning.

So far, many details about the bombing remain unclear, and no individual, organization or country has claimed responsibility. Who could be behind the serial bombings?

Or the worst attack in 42 years

Video broadcast on Iranian state television showed a large crowd marching on a road in the city of Kerman on January 3, lined with banners about Qassem Soleimani. After one of the explosions, people can be heard screaming and then fleeing in panic.

It is reported that the first bomb was detonated at about 15 o'clock local time, and the explosion site was about 700 meters from the cemetery of the Martyrs' Garden around the Saheb al-Zaman mosque on the eastern outskirts of Kerman. Kerman, Soleimani's hometown, and his remains were buried in the Martyrs' Garden cemetery along with 1,024 others.

The second explosion occurred about 15 minutes after the first explosion, about 1,000 meters from the Martyrs' Garden cemetery, and targeted the crowd fleeing during the first explosion.

The governor of Kerman province said that both explosions occurred outside the security checkpoint and that the authorities are convinced that the explosions were caused by the bomb. Another unnamed source noted that the bomb was apparently detonated "by remote control".

"We were walking towards the cemetery when a car suddenly stopped behind us and the trash can with the bomb exploded," an eyewitness said. We only heard explosions and saw people falling. "The video shows bodies on the road and ambulances are rushing to the scene. It is reported that in the panic after the explosion, several injured people were trampled by the crowd.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society said the dead included at least one paramedic who was sent to the scene of the first explosion but then suffered a second explosion. An Iranian police spokesman announced that three police officers had died while trying to assist crowds fleeing the Kerman bombing.

Iran's health minister, Bahram Eynollahi, said at least 95 people were killed and 211 others were injured, 27 of them seriously, according to Iran's health minister.

Iran's interior minister, Wahidi, said most of the victims in the series of explosions were killed or injured in the second explosion. He said that all the wounded were urgently taken to local hospitals for treatment, and that the situation in the city of Kerman had been restored to normal with the help of security forces.

It is reported that the Kerman series of bombings may be the worst attack in Iran in 42 years. The worst previous attack was the 1981 truck bombing of the headquarters of the Islamic Republican Party in Tehran, which killed at least 72 people, including the party's leader, four government ministers, eight deputy ministers and 23 members of parliament.

The European Union condemned, the United States mourned

According to CCTV news, Iranian President Raisi said on January 3 that he strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the city of Kerman, saying that the bombing was a "cowardly act" carried out by "criminals who hate Iran and followers of terror and darkness", and that Iranian departments should take all measures to save the injured, and at the same time identify the perpetrators and the masterminds behind it as soon as possible.

He said that the Iranian people would continue to fight terrorism until it was eradicated.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Ali Khamenei said in a statement: "The evil enemy of the Iranian nation has once again created a catastrophe and led to the martyrdom of a large number of dear people of Kerman." ”

"Both those who have the blood of innocents on their hands and those who have led this atrocity will be resolutely suppressed and justly punished. This starts right away. They should know that this catastrophe will put them in the face of a severe counterattack. Khamenei said in a statement.

Iran's parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee plans to send a delegation to Kerman to investigate the bombing.

After the incident, Allah leader Nasrallah said those who commemorated Soleimani's death were "targeted." Nasrallah called the dead "martyrs who died on the same path, in the same cause and in the same battle led by Soleimani." Yemen's Houthis also condemned the "criminal bombing" on the anniversary of Soleimani's death.

At the same time, the EU demanded that the perpetrators of the two explosions be brought to justice and condemned the attack.

"The EU condemns in the strongest terms the bombing that took place today in the Iranian city of Kerman. The EU expresses its solidarity with the Iranian people. This terrorist act has caused appalling civilian casualties. In a statement, the EU's foreign affairs spokesperson said, "Now our hearts are with the victims and their families." The perpetrators must be held accountable. ”

The Iraqi government also issued a statement condemning the bombing, describing it as a "Kerman terrorist attack." For his part, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim conveyed Malaysia's condolences and solidarity with Iran and its people to the Iranian side, and urged that "the masterminds of this violent act be brought to justice".

The Kremlin issued a statement saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned "terrorism in all its forms" and expressed condolences to the Iranian leader. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also posted condolences on social media platform X and condemned the attack.

As for the United States, US State Department spokesman Mueller has denied any suggestion that the United States or its ally Israel was behind the deadly bombing in Iran.

"The United States is not involved in any way, and any hint to the contrary is absurd. Referring to the January 3 bombing, Miller said, "We have no reason to believe that Israel was involved in the bombing." But we do extend our sympathy to the victims and their loved ones who lost their lives in this terrible explosion. ”

John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, stressed that the United States did not find any indication that Israel was behind the bombing.

At this time, there has been no official Israeli statement or response to the attack.

The "murderer" is unknown, and regional tensions are rising

Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Moitaba Zornuri, claimed: "The non-suicidal nature of the Kerman terrorist attack suggests that it was an act of the Zionist regime." We will punish the Zionist regime with a global action to retaliate. ”

Rob Macaire, Britain's former ambassador to Iran, admitted that it was unclear who was behind the Kerman series of bombings.

"Obviously, despite the limited capacity of the (Iranian) opposition groups, they have the capacity to carry out violent attacks. "I don't think this attack threatens the Islamic Republic of Iran, but it certainly raises tensions." ”

The serial bombings may also have been carried out by Arab separatists in Iran and Sunni militant groups such as the extremist group Islamic State, which have carried out attacks on civilians and security forces in recent years. As previously reported, a key "agent" affiliated with an extremist group responsible for carrying out "terrorist operations" in Iran was arrested in Kerman in September 2023. In 2017, five members of an extremist group attacked the Iranian parliament building and the Khomeini mausoleum, killing 17 people and injuring 43.

Other U.S. officials believe that the People's Mujahideen (MeK), a secular opposition group in Israel and Iran, was not behind the serial bombings. The two have been linked to multiple attacks inside Iran, but most of these attacks have been targeted assassinations, often against scientists, or acts of sabotage.

Some U.S. and British officials believe that the Kerman bombing on January 3 does not fit the pattern of these attacks, as the bombing was aimed at remembering Soleimani's mourners. So for the MeK and Israel, it's a far cry from the way it acts.

While it's unclear who is responsible for the serial bombings, it's clear who is behind the serial bombings, and it's clear that this individual, group, or country is willing to risk triggering a regional war.

Source: The Paper