Iran says “terrorist attacks” on Soleimani’s burial site kill over 103 (2nd Ld)

Tehran, Jan 3 (IANS) Two explosions near the burial site of Iran’s slain general Qassem Soleimani killed at least 103 people and wounded over 170 others on Wednesday, reported the official IRNA news agency and the semi-official Fars news agency, calling it “terrorist” attacks.

The blasts occurred as many people gathered at the cemetery in Iran’s southeastern city of Kerman to mark the fourth anniversary of Soleimani’s death in a U.S. drone strike, Xinhua news agency reported.

The first blast was about 700 meters from Soleimani’s tomb and the second was a kilometer away, IRNA said.

Rahman Jalali, the deputy governor of Kerman province for political and security affairs, said the explosions were carried out by “terrorists,” the IRNA reported.

Babak Yektaparast, a spokesman for Iran’s National Medical Emergency Organisation, told the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN) that some of the injured were in critical condition and the death toll could rise.

The IRINN said the cause of the blasts was still under investigation and that rescue teams were at the scene. It added that most of the injuries were caused by overcrowding and panic.

Soleimani, one of the most powerful military commanders in Iran, was killed on Jan. 3, 2020, near Baghdad’s