Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack that killed 84 people at a tribute ceremony for Qassem Soleimani in Iran

He Islamic State It was claimed on Thursday double suicide attack At least 84 people were killed in the southern Iranian city of Kerman on Wednesday during celebrations marking the fourth anniversary of the killing of an Iranian commander. Qasim Sulemani At the hands of the United States.

The terrorist group said in a statement issued through its Telegram channels that Two of its members “moved towards a larger concentration”. Near Soleimani’s tomb in KermanThey detonated their explosive belts”, which caused 84 deaths and more than 200 injuries, according to Iranian officials, as the fourth anniversary of the general’s death was marked.

This Thursday, the state agency iRNA reported that Investigation points to a suicide bomber In the first explosion, which has not been identified yet.

,In the first incident the suicide bomber was a man who was completely disintegrated into pieces as a result of the explosion. And the identity of the suicide bomber is being investigated,” said a source. iRNA,

For its part, the Persian regime immediately blamed the United States and Israel for Wednesday’s attack. “Washington says the United States and Israel have nothing to do with the terrorist attack in Kerman, Iran. In fact? (…) Don’t misunderstand. Responsibility for this crime lies with the American and Zionist regimes, and terrorism is just a tool,” said Mohammad Jamshidi, an adviser to Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi.

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

The attack came amid tensions in the Middle East and a day after the number two leader of the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas, Iran ally Saleh al-Arouri, was killed in an attack in Beirut that Lebanese officials blamed on Israel.

Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Wednesday blamed the Islamic republic’s “evil and criminal enemies” without naming them and promised a “strong response.”

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

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

Iranian officials call for mass protests against Kerman bombings After the weekly Friday prayers, when officials said the deceased would be buried.

(With information from AFP and EFE)