ISIS Takes Credit for Bombing in Kerman, Iran That Killed At Least 84

Iranian media is reporting that the attack was a suicide bombing

ISIS took credit for the Wednesday bombing in Kerman, Iran, that killed at least 84 people, but Iran has yet to formally attribute blame for the attack.

According to Iran’s PressTV, ISIS issued a statement on its Telegram channels that said two of its members detonated explosive belts in a suicide attack. Iranian officials initially said two bombs were likely placed in bags at the scene, but a source told Iran’s IRNA news agency that at least one of the explosions was the result of a suicide bombing.

“The suicide bomber in the first incident was a man who was completely dismembered as a result of the explosion and the identification of the suicide bomber is under investigation,” the source said. “The cause of the second blast was most likely the same.”

The bombing targeted a memorial commemorating the fourth anniversary of the US killing of Iranian Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani, who was targeted by a US drone strike in Baghdad on January 3, 2020. Initial reports said over 100 were killed, but the latest death toll is 84.

Israel is also a suspect in the bombing since it has a history of carrying out sabotage attacks and assassinations inside Iran, but never anything on the scale of the bombing in Kerman. Israel has also been carrying out attacks across the region and recently killed a senior member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria.

Iranian officials have hinted at a potential Israeli role but say they’re carrying out an investigation to find the perpetrators. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed a “harsh response” to the bombing.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.