Iran: Blasts killed 200 as Iran marked three years since Soleimani killing
At least 200 Iranians were killed and scores of others were wounded on Wednesday in two reported explosions at a commemoration ceremony for slain Quds Force Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in the city of Kerman, some 600 miles southeast of Tehran, emergency services said.
Local media cited officials as claiming the blasts were the result of “terrorist attacks.” Several gas canisters exploded at the entrance to the cemetery, according to Nournews, a news outlet with close ties to the regime.
The explosions took place 10 minutes apart, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Quds Force is the IRGC’s branch responsible for military operations and its terror unit abroad.
“Our rapid response teams are evacuating the injured. … But there are waves of crowds blocking roads,” Reza Fallah, head of the Kerman Province Red Crescent emergency service, told state television.