Middle East tense after twin blasts kill over 100 in Iran
TEHRAN: Over 100 people were killed in twin blasts that rocked the city of Kerman in Iran.
The two bombs went off near the tomb of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani as the country observed the fourth anniversary of his assassination by the United States.
Over 200 others were also injured in the bomb explosions that hit a procession near the Saheb al-Zaman mosque in Kerman city of Iran.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed that the “terrorist attack” would be met with a “harsh response”, BBC reported.
Meanwhile, no group has thus far claimed responsibility for the attack, which was the deadliest in Iran in 42 years.
Iranian media reported the first bomb was detonated around 15:00 local time (11:30 GMT), about 700m (2300ft) from the Garden of Martyrs cemetery around the Saheb al-Zaman mosque, in the eastern outskirts of Kerman.
The second bombing took place about 15 minutes later, around 1km away from the cemetery, targeting people who had fled the first, they said.
It may be mentioned here that tensions are on the rise in the Middle East following the bomb explosions in the Iranian city.