Jihadist Group Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Deadly Bombings that Killed 84 in Iran

The Jihadist Group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a bombing that occurred in Iran, targeting spectators commemorating the US assassination of Qasem Soleimani, an American spymaster. The assault in Kerman, southern Iran, resulted in the loss of 84 lives and numerous injuries.

The Iranian emergency services chief reduced the fatality toll from an initial count of 95 on Thursday morning. Israel and the United States, according to Iran at first, were responsible for the assaults.

Islamic State issued the assertion through its Telegram channels. The group subsequently published an image of two masked men on its news outlet Amaq, attributing them to the assaults.

According to the report, the initial suicide bomber set off his explosives belt within a crowd, and approximately twenty minutes later, the second bomber detonated his explosives.

Islamic State attributed the assailants the aliases Sayfullah al-Mujahid and Omar al-Muwahhid. Their generic nature complicates the task of distinguishing whether the assailants originated from Iran or another country.

Islamic State’s Hatred of Soleimani

Jihadist organizations in Iran have launched multiple assaults against Iranian civilians and security personnel in recent years. It consented to the demise of General Soleimani in 2020, whose militias had dedicated years of resistance against the group in Iraq.

Iran placed the responsibility on Israel and the United States days ago. The United States, on the other hand, denied any suspicion that Washington was involved and stated that it had no evidence that Israel was involved.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme religious leader, threatened a “severe response” to the assaults.

On Wednesday evening, Ayatollah Khamenei said: “Cruel criminals must be aware that they will promptly face severe consequences; undoubtedly, a severe reaction is imminent.”

Given the involvement of Islamic State (IS), which has implicated two suicide bombers in the incident, it is improbable that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard will issue an apology.

The visceral hatred of the Tehran regime toward the United States and Israel is evident on multiple fronts, including Lebanon, Iraq, Gaza, and Yemen.

Israeli Drone Strike in Lebanon

Soleimani was regarded as the preeminent individual in Iran, after the paramount leader before his demise in 2020, when a drone strike was conducted by the United States in adjacent Iraq.

The attack on Wednesday occurs amid escalated tensions in the region following the apparent death of the deputy leader of Hamas, an Iran-backed Palestinian organization, in an Israeli drone strike in Lebanon.

The explosions occurred as large masses marched along a road adorned with banners featuring Qasem Soleimani, according to footage carried by Iranian state television. Following one of the detonations, individuals were observed fleeing in terror while shrieking.

According to Iranian media, the initial device detonated at approximately 15:00 local time (11:30 GMT) in the eastern outskirts of Kerman, approximately 700 meters (2,300 feet) from the Garden of Martyrs cemetery surrounding the Saheb al-Zaman mosque.

They reported that the second bombing occurred approximately 15 minutes later, one kilometer from the cemetery, and targeted individuals who had escaped the initial explosion.

Bombs Detonated Remotely by Islamic State Group

The governor of Kerman province confirmed to the state news agency Irna that both explosions occurred in the vicinity of security checkpoints and that authorities were certain that explosives were at fault. However, he stated that it remained uncertain whether the explosions were deliberate suicide attempts or remote detonations.

Previously, sources briefed the extremist Tasnim news agency, which is associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, that “two bags containing bombs” were “apparently detonated via remote control.”

“A witness was quoted by Isna news agency as saying, ‘We were walking towards the cemetery when a car suddenly stopped behind us and a waste bin containing a bomb detonated.'”

“We only heard the sound of the explosion and saw people falling.”

According to state television, the explosions transpired rapidly in the southern municipality of Kerman.

As the commander of the Quds Force, the overseas operations branch of the Revolutionary Guards, Soleimani laid the foundation for Iranian policy in the region.

He oversaw the surveillance operations of the Quds Force, which supplied allied governments and armed organizations, including Hezbollah and Hamas, with guidance, funding, weapons, intelligence, and logistical support.

During the preceding two decades, troops under the command of then-US President Donald Trump allegedly murdered hundreds of American civilians and service members. Trump, who ordered the 2020 drone strike, referred to General Soleimani as “the number one terrorist anywhere in the world.”

In addition to issuing arrest warrants for Mr. Trump and other US officials, the Iranian government accused the United States of an act of international terrorism.

Keywords: Islamic State claims responsibility for suicide bombings, operation inherent resolve, foreign terrorist organizations