ISIS has claimed responsibility for the deadly blasts near the burial site of slain Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani.
The terrorist group issued a statement Thursday taking credit for the Wednesday bombings that killed dozens and injured more as mourners gathered to honor the fourth anniversary of the United States military airstrike that killed Soleimani, per the terrorist monitoring group SITE. The suicide bombers detonated their explosive devices near his grave in his hometown of Kerman.
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A U.S. official told reporters Wednesday that the bombings had the same characteristics as terrorist attacks, specifically those carried out by the Islamic State.
“I think it’s just based on the M.O., it does look like a terrorist attack as a type of thing we’ve seen ISIS do in the past,” a senior administration official told reporters. “And as far as we’re aware, that’s kind of, I think, our going assumption at the moment.”
The Islamic State, a Sunni Islamist group, is at odds with the Iranian regime, given its Shiite Islamic government and its alliance of Shiite groups across the Middle East.
U.S. National Security Council coordinator John Kirby also said Wednesday that the U.S. had no indication Israel was involved in the bombings, which threaten to escalate the already tense situation in the Middle East.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that there would be a “strong response” to the bombings.
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“The enemies should know that, with God’s permission, perpetrators of this tragedy will be met with a strong response,” Khamenei said. “The enemy should know the soldiers on Soleimani’s bright path won’t tolerate their vileness & crime. The hands stained with the blood of innocent people & the corrupt, evil minds that misdirected them will definitely be the target of a severe pounding & a deserving retribution.”
There was initial concern and finger-pointing at Israel from Iran, which sparked initial concerns that the bombings could be a catalyst for an expanded Middle Eastern conflict.
