Iran says blasts near commander’s grave kill more than 100

Two explosions near the grave of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani killed at least 103 people and injured 171, with a senior official describing the blasts as a terrorist attack.

The blasts happened within 15 minutes of each other outside the graveyard in the central province of Kerman on the anniversary of Soleimani’s death, state TV reported. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahdi said it was a response to the actions of Iran’s anti-Israel alliance that includes Hamas and Hezbollah.

“They responded to the blow from the axis of resistance by killing innocent women and children,” Vahdi said in televised remarks, without being more specific. Iran uses “axis of resistance” to refer to armed groups it supports across the Middle East which oppose Israel, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

The head of Iran’s judiciary, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei, vowed to punish the perpetrators, without saying who might be responsible. It came less than 24 hours after a suspected Israeli drone strike that killed a senior leader of Hamas.

The explosions were caused by bombs planted in a suitcase and a car near the graveyard entrance and detonated remotely, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

Crowds had gathered at Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer Soleimani’s grave to mark his 2020 killing in a U.S. drone strike.

As the leader of the IRGC’s elite Quds force, Soleimani was one of Iran’s most powerful generals. He helped project Iranian power abroad through a network of proxy militias opposed to Israel including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

Regional escalation

Soleimani’s death in 2020 led to fears of a direct military confrontation between Iran and the U.S., and in the aftermath Iran mistakenly shot down a passenger plane. Tehran continues to vow to avenge Soleimani’s death.

Last week, Iran accused Israel of killing another senior IRGC officer – and Soleimani’s former colleague – Seyyed Razi Mousavi, in Syria. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said it had no comment after the Kerman attack.

Separately on Wednesday, the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency said at a funeral that it would “settle accounts” with those who planned and participated in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, without elaborating. Iran denies involvement in the assaults.