Iranian state media are claiming 103 people have been killed and 141 people have been injured in explosions at an event honoring Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by a U.S. airstrike four years ago.
The blasts were described as “terroristic” by one Iranian official, according to the Associated Press, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack in the immediate aftermath.
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The explosions occurred in Kerman, which is roughly 500 miles southeast of Tehran, and were near the gravesite of Soleimani.
The Iranian military leader was killed by a U.S. drone airstrike in Iraq on Jan. 3, 2020. Wednesday’s event in which the blast occurred was reportedly a ceremony in honor of the deceased general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The blast comes as the Middle East deals with tensions concerning the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and continued attempted attacks on shipping barges in the Red Sea by the Houthis.
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After the United States destroyed three “Iranian-backed Houthi small boats” on Sunday, Iran moved a warship to the Red Sea, in a possible escalation in one of the key shipping routes in the world.
Wednesday’s news come a day after Hamas claimed one of its senior leaders was killed in an airstrike in Lebanon, escalating fear of a wider conflict spreading. Hamas has blamed Israel for the strike, but Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, instead saying they “remain focused on fighting Hamas.”
