At least 103 people died and more than 140 were injured as a result of two explosions recorded this Wednesday (3), in the Iranian city of Kerman, where a pilgrimage was taking place in honor of General Qassem Soleimani, killed in January 2020 in a military operation from United States.
According to the Iranian state news agency Irna, the two explosions took place within a radius of one kilometer from Soleimani’s tomb, where thousands of people were heading. The tribute marked four years since the death of the political leader.
There is still no official version of the explosions, according to the country’s press. According to authorities in Kerman, a terrorist attack has not been ruled out, but it is also possible that there were accidental detonations in gas structures.
Despite this, the President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, published a harsh note in which he called the action a “terrorist crime”, and said that the country’s authorities will take “the necessary measures” to alleviate the pain of the victims’ families and treat the people who were injured.
“The president also announces in his message that the perpetrators and criminals who were involved in this terrorist attack will be identified as soon as possible and will be punished for their actions”, continued the note signed by Raisi.
The television network Al Jazeera claims the explosions happened after two bombs mounted inside suitcases were detonated remotely. The channel, which is based in Qatar, is one of the main sources of information about Middle Eastern countries.
Soleimani was an extremely important political figure in Iran, and was ranked “number two” in the country’s political structure, behind only Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, when he was killed. He was hit by an American drone attack in Iraq.
Editing: Nicolau Soares
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
