Explosions during a ceremony honouring a fallen general claims at least 95 lives.

Nobody took credit for the explosions. According to a senior Biden administration source in Washington, the explosions seemed to be “a terrorist attack” similar to ones that Islamic State terrorists have previously carried out.

Iran’s top leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, promised retaliation for the deadly twin blasts, while President Ebrahim Raisi denounced the “heinous and inhumane crime”.

Iranian officials blamed unidentified “terrorists” for two explosions that occurred on Wednesday at a crowded fourth-anniversary event at the cemetery where commander Qassem Soleimani is buried in the southeast city of Kerman. The explosions claimed the lives of nearly 100 people and injured numerous others, according to Iranian state television. Soleimani was killed by a U.S. drone in 2020

“Cruel criminals … must know that they will be strongly dealt with from now on and … undoubtedly there will be a harsh response,” Khamenei said in a statement, according to state media.

The bombings were denounced by a number of nations, including Turkey and Russia, and the UN Secretary-General demanded that those who carried out the attacks be held accountable.

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The Islamic Republic of Iran, which has previously seen similar attacks from a variety of groups, including Islamic State, reported that this attack was the bloodiest in its history with 211 people injured and 95 deaths, down from 103, according to Iranian Health Minister Bahram Eynollahi, speaking to state TV.

Although Israel has neither confirmed nor rejected the accusations, Iran has previously held Israel accountable for assaults on specific individuals or locations inside its borders. However, there was no proof that a foreign power was involved in the cemetery bombings.

National security spokesman for the White House John Kirby stated that there has been no evidence that Israel was responsible for the explosions.

“Two explosive devices planted along the road leading to Kerman’s Martyrs’ Cemetery were detonated remotely by terrorists,” an unidentified official informed state news agency IRNA.

Iranian state television released videos that showed dozens of bloodied bodies scattered around, with some onlookers attempting to assist the survivors and others rushing to get out of the bomb zone.

“My back hurt and I lost feeling in my legs after hearing a loud noise,” a hurt woman from a Kerman hospital said to state television.

At the celebration, where hundreds of Iranians had gathered to commemorate the anniversary of Soleimani’s killing, Iran’s Red Crescent rescuers attended to injured victims. According to certain Iranian news agencies, there were far more injuries.

Despite all the safety precautions and security, there came a dreadful sound. Reza Fallah, the head of the Kerman Red Crescent Society, told state media that the situation is still being looked into.

The cemetery has been evacuated and closed indefinitely, according to a later statement from the state press agency. Thursday was designated as a day of mourning by the government.

Top commander of Iran’s Quds force Esmail Qaani said that “the agents of the Zionist regime (Israel) and the United States” were behind the strikes, despite the authorities refusing to openly assign blame.

Tehran frequently charges that the US and Israel, its two greatest adversaries, are funding extremist organisations opposed to Iran.

Crowds gathering to the cemetery at night were shown by state TV yelling “Death to Israel” and “Death to America”

Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it will use all international means to identify and bring to justice those involved in the attacks and their supporters. Meanwhile, President Raisi cancelled a planned visit to Turkey on Thursday.

Soleimani oversaw covert operations overseas as the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) elite Quds force, and he played a significant role in the country’s protracted effort to expel American forces from the Middle East.

Israel’s war on Hamas terrorists in Gaza, which it launched in retribution for their October 7th rampage through southern Israel, has escalated tensions between Iran and Israel as well as with the US, its backer.In the entrance to the Red Sea, one of the busiest maritime channels in the world, the Houthi militia of Yemen, backed by Iran, has attacked ships that they claim have connections to Israel.