- The terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the devastating attack in the Iranian city of Kerman. The group explained this through its usual propaganda channels.
- Switzerland has condemned the attacks in Iran. In a statement, the foreign ministry in Bern said it was “dismayed by the high number of deaths and injuries”.
- On Wednesday, 84 people were killed and 284 injured after explosions in Kerman.
Two assassins detonated their explosive belts during mourning events on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of the death of Iranian General Ghassem Soleimani, an IS statement said.
State media in Iran had previously reported that one of the two devastating explosions in Iran was caused by a suicide bomber. This was revealed, among other things, by the evaluation of video surveillance, the state news agency Irna reported on Telegram, citing an unnamed source from the city of Kerman.
The background to the second explosion has not yet been fully clarified. A suicide attack was also suspected there.
Legend:
IS has claimed responsibility for the attack.
IMAGO/Tasnim News Agency
In the attack near Soleimani’s gravesite, two huge explosions killed 84 people and injured 284. It was the deadliest attack in the 45-year history of the Islamic Republic.
IS views Iran’s predominant Shiite population as apostates from Islam and despises them. Shia, the smaller of the two major branches of Islam, is the state religion of the Islamic Republic. A regional branch of IS is active in neighboring Afghanistan, where the group wants to establish a “province” called IS-Khorasan near Pakistan.
Switzerland condemns attacks
Switzerland had previously condemned the attacks in Iran. “Our thoughts are with the victims and their families,” says a statement from the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA) on the short message portal X. Switzerland condemns “the attacks in Kerman in the strongest possible terms.”