ISIS claims responsibility for deadliest attack in Iran since 1979 revolution
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the deadly twin blasts near the burial site of slain military commander Qasem Soleimani in southern Iran, according to the terror monitoring group SITE.
At least 84 people were killed and 284 injured in the blasts on Wednesday, state-run news agency IRNA reported, in what was the deadliest attack in Iran since its 1979 revolution.
ISIS issued a statement on Thursday – more than 24 hours after the explosions – claiming two suicide bombers had detonated their explosive vests as Shiite mourners gathered for the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Soleimani near his grave in his hometown of Kerman.
The group offered no further proof and their account of the blasts differ from that given in Iranian media.
Accusations flew in the time between the blasts and ISIS’ statement. Iran’s President Ebhrahim Raisi blamed Israel for the explosions and warned it would pay a “heavy price.” The Israeli military told CNN it had “no comment” on the matter.
Prior to ISIS’ statement, analysts and a US official had speculated that the blast had the hallmarks of a terror attack.
“It does look like a terrorist attack, the type of thing we’ve seen ISIS do in the past. And as far as we’re aware, that’s kind of I think our going assumption at the moment,” the official said.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/04/middleeast/iran-islamic-state-attack-kerman-intl/index.html