Two explosions ripped through Kerman on Wednesday as mourners commemorated the fourth anniversary of the US drone strike assassination of Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of the Iranian-backed Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) at Baghdad International Airport. At least 95 people were killed 211 wounded, according to Iran’s state IRNA news agency.
While several Iranian officials have blamed the US and Israel for the blasts, Iranian writer and researcher Sadegh Zibakalam said that evidence shows that the bombings were carried out by ISIS. The attacks, however, remain unclaimed.
“Although some Iranian officials are trying to confirm that Israel is behind the incident, the nature of the operation and the explosion was such that civilians were killed, which is incompatible with Israeli operations that accurately hit their targets,” Zibakalam told Rudaw’s Nwenar Fatih.
“The Israelis are aware that they have a lot of supporters in Iran, so of course they will not do anything to make people withdraw their support,” he added.
The researcher also denied that Iran was behind the Kerman bombings as a conspiracy against Israel or any other party. However, he criticized Tehran for not providing adequate medical teams on the ground or in the hospitals as a precaution.
According to Zibakalam, Iran’s intentions behind “accusing” Israel of the Kerman bombings is to “destroy the good image of Israel that has been created among the Iranian people and say that the Israelis committed this crime.”
On Wednesday, senior advisor to Iran’s president Mohammad Jamshidi blamed Israel and the US for the blasts in a post on X.
“Washington says the US and Israel had no role in the terrorist attack in Kerman, Iran. Really? A fox smells its own lair first,” he said. “Make no mistake, the responsibility of this crime lies with the US and Zionist regimes and terrorism is just a tool.”
Leaders in the Kurdistan Region and around the world condemned the attacks in Iran and expressed condolences for the victims.
Calling it a “terrorist attack,” Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Wednesday condemned the blast, extending condolences “to the leadership, government, and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also condemned the blasts.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that those behind the attacks “should know that this tragedy will have a tough response” while President Ebrahim Raisi vowed that those responsible for the attack will be identified and punished.
