Ejnollahi justified the correction by saying that some of the victims' names had already been counted twice. State media had previously put the death toll at 103. The minister said around 30 patients remained in critical condition. According to Ejnollahi, a total of 211 people were injured. The Iranian leadership announced strong reactions.
Soleimani, who was killed by the US four years ago, is revered as a martyr by government supporters loyal to the system. On Wednesday, crowds also made pilgrimages through the streets of Kerman to Soleimani's tomb in a mosque. In a segment broadcast live on state television, bangs and screams were heard.
During a reporter's live broadcast, rescue workers could be seen rushing to a hospital with injured people in the background. Reporters spoke of a “horrific sound of explosion” and a “terrorist attack.”
Unclear background
State television showed Red Crescent rescuers tending to injured people at the ceremony where hundreds of Iranians gathered to mark the anniversary of Soleimani's death. Videos showing riots also circulated on social media.
It is not yet known who or what caused the explosions and how. According to eyewitnesses, about ten minutes passed between the two detonations. Initially, official sources said it was not known whether the explosions were caused by gas cylinders or suicide bombers. Authorities later said the explosions were caused by two remotely detonated bombs. The incident was classified as terrorist.
Wagner (ORF) on explosions in Iran
ORF correspondent Katharina Wagner talks, among other things, about what could have been the backdrop to the explosions at a memorial ceremony in Iran, where several people were killed.
State leadership announces decisive response
Interior Minister Ahmad Wahidi announced a decisive reaction. “It is clear that security authorities, the military and law enforcement authorities will react quickly and vigorously,” the interior minister told state television on Wednesday. The exact context would be investigated. “Our law enforcement is vigilant and will hold those who committed this crime accountable.”
President Ebrahim Raisi also condemned the terrorist attack. According to a government statement on Wednesday, it instructed authorities to alleviate the suffering of victims and injured people. At the same time, he called for a decisive response. “There is no doubt that the perpetrators and those who ordered this cowardly act will soon be identified and (…) punished for their heinous act,” the head of government was quoted as saying.
He also canceled his first state visit to Türkiye. The trip to Ankara, which was actually scheduled for Thursday, will be postponed, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on Telegram on Wednesday.
The mentor is unclear
The Iranian head of state, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced a strong reaction. “Know that this catastrophic act will bring a harsh response, God willing,” said the religious leader, according to a statement published in state media. The 84-year-old expressed his condolences to the victims and their families.
The EU described the bomb attack in Iran as an “act of terrorism”. “The EU strongly condemns today’s bomb attack in the Iranian city of Kerman,” the European External Action Service said in a statement released on Wednesday. The EU expresses its solidarity “with the Iranian people”.
Initially, no group claimed responsibility for the alleged attack. Terrorist attacks of this magnitude are extremely rare in Iran. More than a year ago, the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia claimed responsibility for an attack on a Shiite shrine in the metropolis of Shiraz. The October 2022 attack killed more than a dozen people.
Attack on general on Trump's orders
On Wednesday, Iran marked the fourth anniversary of the death of Soleimani, killed by the US military in Iraq on January 3, 2020. Soleimani was killed in a drone strike near Baghdad ordered by then-US President Donald Trump . The general commanded the Quds Brigades, a branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard responsible for foreign operations, and was considered a hero of the Iran-Iraq War in his homeland.
Trump said at the time that he had ordered the drone strike in response to a series of attacks on US bases in Iraq. This led to a dramatic escalation of tensions in the region and a retaliatory attack by Iranian forces against a US base in Iraq.
The US denied any responsibility for the attack in Iran on Wednesday. “The United States was in no way involved and any suggestion otherwise is ridiculous,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in Washington on Wednesday. He added that his government also had “no reason to believe” that Israel was involved in the incident.