More than 70 killed in 'terrorist attacks' near Iranian Guards commander Soleimani's tomb during ceremony

Two explosions caused by 'terrorist attacks' killed more than 70 people and wounded scores at a ceremony in Iran to commemorate top commander Qassem Soleimani who was killed in a 2020 US drone attack, Iranian officials said on January 3, Report informs referring to Reuters.

Iranian state television reported a first and then a second explosion during an anniversary event at the cemetery where Soleimani is buried in the southeastern city of Kerman.

"The blasts were caused by terrorist attacks," state media quoted a local official in the Kerman province as saying. Babak Yektaparast, a spokesperson for Iran's emergency services, was reported later as saying 73 people had been killed and 170 injured.

The semi-official Nournews had said earlier that "several gas canisters exploded on the road leading to the cemetery".

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

"Our rapid response teams are evacuating the injured... But there are waves of crowds blocking roads," Reza Fallah, head of the Kerman province Red Crescent told state TV.

An explosion was reported on January 3 near the burial place of Iran's notorious commander, Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated by an American drone strike in 2020, according to Iranian state media, Report informs referring to i24News.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) affiliated media have so far claimed it was an innocent explosion of a gas cylinder, but since then there has been a second reported explosion in the area.

According to the reports, the explosions occurred near the cemetery in the southeast city of Kerman. Iran had been marking the anniversary of Soleimani's death at the time of the incidents, during which Iranian defense minister threatened the US that the consequences of the assassination will haunt them in the Middle East.

The IRGC Major General had headed the extraterritorial Quds Force, leading clandestine military operations and supporting Iranian proxies in other countries. He was considered one of the most powerful men in Iran.

The commander of the Quds Force and the deputy head of the Iraqi Al-Hashd al-Shaabi forces, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who accompanied him, were killed on January 3, 2020, as a result of a missile attack by the US Air Force near Baghdad airport.