Death toll in Iran blasts rises to at least 73, with 170 injured
At least 73 people have been killed in two blasts near the grave of slain Revolutionary Guards general Qassem Soleimani, state media reports, in what officials call a “terrorist attack.”
Authorities have confirmed 73 deaths and 170 injured who have been transferred to medical centers, emergency services say.
Authorities say some people were injured while fleeing afterward. Footage suggested that the second blast occurred some 15 minutes after the first. A delayed second explosion is often used by terrorists to target emergency personnel responding to the scene and inflict more casualties.
People could be heard screaming in state TV footage.
Kerman’s deputy governor, Rahman Jalali, calls the attack “terroristic,” without elaborating. Iran has multiple foes who could be behind the assault, including exile groups, militant organizations and state actors.
Soleimani was the architect of Iran’s regional military activities and is hailed as a national icon among supporters of Iran’s theocracy. He also helped secure Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government after the 2011 Arab Spring protests against him turned into a civil, and later a regional, war that still rages today.
#BREAKING
Two terrorist blasts in Iran’s southeastern city of Kerman have left at least 20 people dead and 60 more injured, according to Iranian media reports. pic.twitter.com/sroe3TF05j— Tehran Times (@TehranTimes79) January 3, 2024