Islamic State claims responsibility for terrorist attack during General Soleimani memorial: Iranian leaders vow revenge
Kyiv • UNN
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack that killed 89 people during a memorial ceremony in Iran, heightening tensions in the region. Iran is now in mourning, and calls for revenge are growing.
Two explosions on Wednesday in Iran during the commemoration of Guard General Qasem Soleimani killed 89 people. Iran's vice president initially blamed Israel, but later the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Today, Iran is mourning the victims of the bomb attack; during the funeral in the city of Kerman, the crowd called for revenge.
This was reported by UNN with reference to Washington Post and Reuters.
Details
On Friday, Iranian officials, speaking at the mass funerals of some of the 89 people killed in Wednesday's attack, also mentioned Israel and the United States in their speech about the suicide bombers. But as it turned out the day before, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Context
Four years after the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, on Wednesday, January 3, two explosive devices detonated 15 minutes apart in Soleimani's hometown of Kerman, among people on their way to his grave.
The next day, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Two suicide bombers detonated their explosive belts "in a large crowd of infidels" in Kerman, the jihadist group wrote on its Telegram channel.
In Wednesday's attack, one suicide bomber killed himself and another attacked 20 minutes later as people and rescuers tried to help the wounded in Kerman, about 820 km (510 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran.
Two explosions killed at least 89 people and wounded about 280 others, authorities said Friday in an update on the death toll. This was the bloodiest assassination attempt in Iran since the founding of the Islamic Republic in the 1979 revolution.
Global condemnation of the terrorist attack in Kerman and an attempt to "tie" Israel and the United States to the events
The attacks drew condemnation from around the world, even as Iran's broader tensions with the West over its nuclear program intensified.
The UN Security Council strongly condemned the terrorist attack in the southeastern Iranian province of Kerman.
Pope Francis has sent a letter of condolence to express his deep sorrow over the "loss of life caused by the recent bombings in Kerman," the Vatican said on Friday. Francis "invokes the blessings of wisdom and peace of the Almighty on all the people of Iran," the Vatican said.
Representatives of the Iranian regime initially blamed Israel. Iran's Vice President Mohammad Mohber said that the "Zionist regime" had shed the blood of innocent citizens. Parliament Vice President Mojtaba Zolnouri also blamed Israel. In July, the regime announced the elimination of a terrorist cell that allegedly planned an attack on Suleimani's grave on behalf of the Israeli secret service Mossad, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung reported. No evidence was presented at the time.
Suspected Islamic State
A US State Department spokesman said on Wednesday that there was no reason to believe that Israel was involved in the bombings. Although Israeli intelligence services have often carried out sabotage against nuclear researchers in Iran, an indiscriminate attack on civilians would hardly suit the Mossad. It is much more likely that the Islamic State is actually behind this, WP writes, noting that the Sunni terrorist group is known for its hatred of Shiites and indiscriminate attacks on civilians.
After the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, doubts were raised about some of the differences from previous statements made by the IS group regarding other attacks on Iran for which it had claimed responsibility. However, experts said it appeared to be genuine and came from online channels associated with the extremists.
The situation in the Middle East is becoming increasingly dangerous
Even if ISIS is indeed responsible for the attacks, they are likely to further aggravate the already tense situation in the Middle East. The attacks come at the height of Israel's war with the Palestinian militia Hamas in the Gaza Strip. They also come just one day after a senior Hamas leader, Saleh al-Arouri, was killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike in the south of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
The commander-in-chief of the powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed on Friday to avenge attacks claimed by the Islamic State.
We will find you wherever you are
Our enemies see the power of Iran, and the whole world knows its strength and capabilities. Our forces will be determined by the place and time of action
Recall
Scenarios that threaten to involve the United States in a much broader conflict in the Middle East are becoming the subject of discussion among White House officials. U.S. intelligence officials are trying to predict possible attacks on the United States by Iranian-backed forces, including identifying the next strike by Houthi militants.
