Deadly twin bombings strike Soleimani memorial procession in Kerman

In a tragic incident marking the fourth anniversary of General Qasem Soleimani’s assassination by the US, twin bomb explosions near his tomb in Kerman, southern Iran, have claimed the lives of at least 73 individuals, according to Iran’s state media.

Another 171 people were reported wounded in the attack during a procession near the Saheb Al-Zaman mosque. Kerman’s deputy governor labeled the event a “terrorist attack.” The disturbing aftermath was captured in an online video showing multiple casualties on a road. The incident occurred as hundreds of people gathered for a ceremony commemorating the influential figure who was killed in a US drone strike in Iraq in 2020.

General Soleimani, considered Iran’s second-most powerful figure after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, served as the commander of the Quds Force, overseeing Revolutionary Guards’ overseas operations.

Known for shaping Iranian policies across the region, he played a pivotal role in providing guidance, funding, weapons, intelligence, and logistical support to allied governments and armed groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah. The 2020 assassination, ordered by then-US President Donald Trump, labeled Soleimani as “the No. 1 terrorist anywhere in the world.”