Tehran, iran

The Islamic State jihadist group on Thursday (Jan 4) claimed responsibility for twin bombings that killed 84 people in Iran a day before. 

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In a statement on Telegram, the group said two of its members "activated their explosives vests" at a gathering near the grave in the southern city of Kerman of slain Revolutionary Guards general Qasem Soleimani. 

The death toll earlier was reported to be 103, but Iranian authorities on Thursday said blasts killed 84 people, revising the toll. 

Tehran's official news agency IRNA quoted Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi as saying that "according to forensic statistics, the number of martyrs from this incident has been announced as 84 so far". 

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Also read: Iraq accuses US-led coalition of Baghdad strike, calls it 'blatant aggression' 

Jafar Miadfar, who is the head of Iran's emergency services, also confirmed the revised toll as he said that the earlier tally was due to the fact that some bodies had been dismembered and counted "several times". 

The explosions took place on the anniversary of Soleimani's killing in a US drone strike in Iraq in 2020 as hundreds of people were gathered to mark the occasion. 

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Iran-based Tasnim news agency reported that the first blast happened at 15:04 pm (local time) when people were packed on a road leading to a cemetery where the tomb of Soleimani is located. The second blast occurred around 13 minutes later. 

Soleimani was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He was the commander of the Quds Force, which is an IRGC division primarily responsible for extraterritorial and clandestine military operations, from 1998 until his death. He was killed in a US drone strike just outside Baghdad airport.  

Also read: Hezbollah source says local chief among four killed in south Lebanon 

Watch: West Asia: Israel stares at wider conflict 

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Tensions rise in West Asia 

The Israel-Hamas war has already escalated tensions in West Asia, and the recent attacks in Lebanon and Iran have added fuel to the fire. 

The two explosions in Iran have been labelled a "terrorist attack" by state media and regional authorities, which sparked fears of a widening conflict in the region. In the immediate implications, global markets were rattled and oil prices jumped more than three per cent. 

The Iranian president's political deputy, Mohammad Jamshidi wrote on X: "Washington says USA and Israel had no role in terrorist attack in Kerman, Iran. Really? A fox smells its own lair first." 

"Make no mistake. The responsibility for this crime lies with the US and Zionist regimes (Israel) and terrorism is just a tool," he added. 

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed "evil and criminal enemies" of the country for the attack and vowed a "harsh response". 

President Ebrahim Raisi condemned the "heinous" crime as the Islamic Republic of Iran declared Thursday a national day of mourning. 

(With inputs from agencies)