On the 3rd (local time), a large-scale explosion occurred at the Martyrs’ Cemetery in the southern city of Kerman, about 970 km from the Iranian capital Tehran, killing at least 84 people and injuring 211. At the time, the 4th anniversary memorial service was being held here for former Revolutionary Guards Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who died in a U.S. military drone attack in January 2020. Soleimani is a powerful figure who oversees the Quds Force, which is considered the most elite unit of Iran’s omnipotent Revolutionary Guard, known as the ‘government above the government’, and sponsored pro-Iranian Shia armed organizations in various parts of the Middle East, including Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Lebanon. It was.
It was not known who was responsible for the explosion, but Iran immediately focused on Israel and the United States as the culprits. On the other hand, the United States raised the possibility that it was the work of the Islamic State (IS), a Sunni extremist militant group that is at odds with Iran, the leader of Shiites. Israel has not taken a position.
The cause of the explosion is unclear, and given Soleimani’s symbolism, the aftereffects of the explosion are expected to continue for a considerable period of time. Iran recently stated, “The surprise attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas on Israel in October last year was in retaliation for the assassination of Soleimani.” Conflict and tension in the Middle East are reaching a peak as Saleh al-Arouri, Hamas’ third-ranking figure, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon on the 2nd, followed by an explosion that left a large number of casualties a day later.
According to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, the first explosion occurred around 2:45 pm on this day on a road 700 meters away from the martyr’s cemetery where Soleimani was buried. The first explosion occurred when a bomb contained in a suitcase inside a Peugeot 405 vehicle was detonated remotely. Twenty minutes later, another explosion occurred 1km away from the cemetery. The scene quickly became chaotic, and corpses abounded everywhere.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi held a memorial service for the victims and claimed that Israel was responsible for the explosion, saying, “This is the end of the Zionist regime (Israel).” The crowd in attendance also chanted “Death to Israel.”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, a theocratic nation, also said, “Evil and criminal enemies have caused disaster again. He declared retaliation, saying, “By God’s will, we will take a strong response.” Khamenei cared for Soleimani so much that he cried at his funeral four years ago.
The US administration of Joe Biden clearly appears perplexed. President Biden, who needs diplomatic achievements ahead of the November presidential election, wants to quickly end the war between Israel and Hamas, but is troubled by the explosion, the death of Al-Arouri, and Yemen’s Shiite rebels, the Houthis, who are attacking Western civilian ships in the Red Sea one after another. there is.
To appease Iran’s anger, the United States emphasized that Israel was not responsible. A senior Biden administration official told the US political media The Hill, “This explosion is the type of attack that IS has carried out in the past.” John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the White House National Security Council (NSC), also said, “There is no indication at all that Israel was involved.” President Biden decided to dispatch White House Senior Advisor Amos Hochstein on the 3rd and Secretary of State Tony Blinken to the Middle East on the 4th to seek ways to ease tensions in the region.
However, anger in the Islamic world is growing. Hassan Nasrallah, the top leader of Hezbollah, a Shiite militant group in Lebanon backed by Iran, called al-Arouri’s death a “grave and dangerous crime” and suggested retaliation.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.