More than 100 dead in blasts at memorial for assassinated Iran general

The explosions near tomb of Qassem Soleimani come at a time of high tension across the Middle East over Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza

More than 100 people have killed and another 200 injured in two explosions near the tomb of Iran's former top commander – who was assassinated in a US drone strike in 2020.

The blasts occurred near the cemetery where a ceremony was held to mark the anniversary of the killing of Qassem Suleimani. Iranian state television reported a first and then a second explosion during an anniversary event at the cemetery where Suleimani is buried in the southeastern city of Kerman. about 500 miles from Tehran. Ahmad Vahidi, the interior minister, told state television that the first bomb detonated around 3pm local time, with the other going off some 20 minutes later. He said the second blast killed and wounded the most people.

State televsion said at least 103 people had been killed and 211 injured. An unnamed official told the state news agency IRNA that "Two explosive devices planted along the road leading to Kerman's cemetery were detonated remotely by terrorists". According to Irna news, the first explosion occurred 700 metres (0.4 miles) from Suleimani’s burial place and the second was one kilometre (0.6 miles) away. Another official claimed two bags containing bombs were placed near the entrance of the burial site and detonated by remote control. "The blasts were caused by terrorist attacks," state media quoted a local official in the Kerman province as saying. without elaborating on who could be behind them. Some reports suggested up to four explosions, although officials did not confirm that.

Tensions are extremely high in the Middle East over Israel's war inside Gaza Strip, in the wake an attack by Hamas in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 240 others taken hostage. The bombing in Iran comes a day after the assassination of the deputy leader of Hamas in a strike in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, which itself raised fears of the conflict in Gaza escalating. While Israel has not claimed responsibility for the drone attack that killed Saleh al-Arouri, it called it a "surgical strike against the Hamas leadership".

The scene of one of the blasts in Iran (TASNIM NEWS/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran supports Hamas as well as the Lebanese Shia militia Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis. Both Hezbollah and the Houthis have launched attacks targeting Israel that they say come on behalf of the Palestinians. Hezbollah has been exchanging near-daily fire with Israel across Lebanon's southern border since the Gaza war began. More than 100 Hezbollah fighters and two dozen civilians have been killed on Lebanese territory, as well as at least nine Israeli soldiers in Israel. The Houthis have attacked ships they say have links to Israel in the entrance to the Red Sea, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

Israel has carried out attacks in Iran over its nuclear programme, it has conducted targeted assassinations, not mass casualty bombings. Sunni extremist groups including Isis have conducted large-scale attacks in the past that killed civilians in Shia-majority Iran, though not in relatively peaceful Kerman. A delayed second explosion is often used by militant groups to target emergency personnel responding to the scene and inflict more casualties.

Relations between Iran and Israel have been acrimonious for decades, but have reached a fresh high over the war in Gaza. On Christmas Day, an Israeli airstrike killed a senior leader of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in Syria, adding to the tension. US forces have come under attack by Iran-backed militants in Iraq and Syria over Washington's backing of Israel and have carried out their own retaliatory air strikes.

Dr Sanam Vakil, the director of the Middle East programme at the Chatham House think tank that would not “be in Iran’s interests” to point the finger at Israel and the fact that it has been labelled a terrorist attack shows that. However, Dr Vakil said the bombing will raise tensions across the region. “I think this attack is directly going to raise anxiety and pressure levels. There has already been big concern for three months that the war is going to cascade... [This] is going to increase tensions at an already difficult time.”

State TV showed Red Crescent rescuers attending to wounded people at the ceremony, where hundreds of Iranians had gathered to mark the anniversary of Suleimani's death. Some Iranian news agencies said the number of wounded people was much higher.

Qassem Suleimani in 2013 (ISNA/AFP via Getty Images)

"We are now evacuating the wounded and injured in the area. The crowd is huge and the job is quite hard all the paths to there are blocked," Reza Fallah, head of the Kerman province Red Crescent told state TV.

Authorities said some people were injured while fleeing afterward. People could be heard screaming in state TV footage.

Suleimani was the architect of Iran’s regional military activities, as chief commander of the elite Quds force, the overseas arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He was in charge of the Quds Force's clandestine missions and its provision of guidance, funding, weapons, intelligence, and logistical support to allied governments and armed groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah.

Relatively unknown in Iran until the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Suleimani's popularity in the country grew after American officials called for his killing over his help arming militants with penetrating roadside bombs that killed and maimed American troops.

A decade and a half later, Suleimani had become Iran's most recognisable battlefield commander, ignoring calls to enter politics but growing as powerful, if not more, than its civilian leadership. He was one of the most powerful men in the Middle East.

The site where Suleimani is buried has become a place of pilgrimage for supporters of what Iran calls the “axis of resistance” against the US and the West. In Beirut, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called the people who died in the Iran attacks "martyrs who died on the same road, cause and battle that was led by" Suleimani.

Donald Trump ordered the assassination of Suleimani during his term as president. He described Suleimani as "the number-one terrorist anywhere in the world".

Suleimani's death has drawn large processions in the past. At his funeral in 2020, a stampede broke out and at least 56 people were killed and more than 200 were injured as thousands thronged the procession.

Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report