The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack that left 84 dead at the tribute ceremony for Qassem Soleimani in Iran

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The Islamic State claimed responsibility this Thursday for the double suicide attack that left at least 84 dead on Wednesday in the town of Kerman, in southern Iran, during the celebration of the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani at the hands of the United States.

The terrorist group said in a statement released through its Telegram channels that two of its members “headed toward a large gathering” near Soleimani’s grave in Kerman and “detonated their explosive belts,” resulting in the death. 84 people and more than 200 injured, according to Iranian authorities, when the fourth anniversary of the general’s death was commemorated.

This Thursday, the state agency IRNA reported that the investigation pointed to a suicide bomber in the first detonation, whose identity has not yet been established.

“The suicide bomber in the first incident was a man who was completely dismembered as a result of the explosion and the identification of the suicide bomber is under investigation,” a source told IRNA.

For its part, the Persian regime quickly blamed the United States and Israel for the attack on Wednesday. “Washington says the United States and Israel had nothing to do with the terrorist attack in Kerman, Iran. Really? (…) Do not get wrong. The responsibility for this crime lies with the American and Zionist regimes, and terrorism is just a tool,” said Mohammad Jamshidi, advisor to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

The United States denied that Israel or itself were involved “in any way,” with a senior official stating that “it looks like a terrorist attack, the kind of thing ISIS (Islamic State) has done in the past.”

The attack occurred amidst tension in the Middle East and a day after the number two of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, Saleh Al Arouri, an ally of Iran, died in an attack in Beirut, which Lebanese authorities attributed to Israel.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Wednesday blamed the Islamic Republic’s “evil and criminal enemies,” without naming them, and promised a “tough response.”

Soleimani, who headed the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of the Revolutionary Guards, was also a staunch enemy of the Sunni extremist group Islamic State, which has carried out attacks in Iran, with a Shiite majority.

Revered by many Iranians, Soleimani oversaw Iranian military operations throughout the Middle East, and millions of people attended his funeral in 2020.

Iranian authorities called for mass protests against the Kerman explosions after weekly Friday prayers, when authorities have said the dead will be buried.

(With information from AFP and EFE)