From Le Figaro with AFP
Published 54 minutes ago, updated 5 minutes ago
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The explosions were heard as Iran and its Shiite allies celebrated the memory of the general, who was killed in an American drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020.
At least 53 people were killed on Wednesday in a double explosion near the grave of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, the architect of Iran's military operations in the Middle East and whose death anniversary Iran is marking the fourth time, state television reported.
The incident occurred near the Saheb al-Zaman mosque in Kerman, southern Iran, where Soleimani's grave is located. Two explosions were heard a few minutes apart.
Causes of explosion unknown
According to television images, rescuers were on site where many people gathered to mark the anniversary of the general's death. The causes of the double explosion are not yet known.
Qassem Soleimani was killed in an American drone strike in Iraq in January 2020 at the age of 62. A key figure in the Iranian regime, he was also one of the country's most popular figures.
After serving in the Iran-Iraq War from 1980 to 1988, Soleimani quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming head of the Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force, which was responsible for the Islamic Republic's external operations. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared three days of national mourning at the time of his death.