REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — The Indonesian government strongly condemned the bomb attack that took place in the Iranian city of Kerman. The incident has killed more than 100 people and injured at least 180 others.
“Indonesia strongly condemns the heinous attack in the Iranian city of Kerman, which killed and injured hundreds of people, including children. We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and our condolences to the Iranian people,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) of the Republic of Indonesia said through its official X account on Thursday (4/1/2024).
On Wednesday (3/1/2024), two bombs exploded in succession near the Martyrs' Cemetery in Saheb al-Zaman Mosque in Kerman. The bomb was detonated as residents there were commemorating the death of Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force who was killed by the United States. According to an Iranian news agency, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), both bombs were detonated remotely using control devices.
Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi revealed that the initial explosion occurred at 15:00 local time. Meanwhile a second bomb was detonated when people gathered to rescue and evacuate casualties from the first blast. According to Vahidi, the second explosion took more casualties. “This terrorist act will be responded to with a strong and devastating response from the security forces and the military in the shortest possible time,” Vahidi said.
At least 103 people were killed and 188 others wounded in bomb attacks in Kerman. Iran has declared Thursday a national day of mourning. No party has yet claimed responsibility for the bomb attack in Kerman.
But Iran has accused the United States and Israel of responsibility for the bomb attack in the city of Kerman. “Washington says the U.S. and Israel played no role in the terrorist attack in Kerman, Iran. Really? The fox sniffs its own nest first. Make no mistake. Responsibility for this crime lies with the US and the Zionist regime (Israel) and terrorism is just a tool,” Iranian presidential deputy Mohammad Jamshidi said on Twitter on Wednesday.
The US has rejected accusations that it or its ally, Israel, were involved in a bomb attack in the city of Kerman. “The United States is not involved in anything. We have no reason to believe that Israel was involved in this explosion,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Wednesday.
Israel declined to comment on the incident of the bomb attack in Kerman. “We are focused on fighting with Hamas,” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Daniel Hagari said when asked about the incident in Kerman.
Related to Qassem Soleimani, he was killed at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, on January 3, 2020. Soleimani was killed while in a convoy of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an Iraqi paramilitary force that has close proximity to Iran. Their motorcade was the target of US drone fire. Former US president Donald Trump was the figure who ordered directly the attack.
Trump claimed Soleimani was plotting attacks on U.S. missions and diplomats in the Middle East. Therefore, before Soleimani launched his action, the US first took action by killing him. Iran strongly condemned Soleimani's killing and vowed to retaliate against Washington's actions. Shortly after the assassination, Iran launched an airstrike on a U.S. army base in Iraq. The action briefly raised global concerns about the potential outbreak of warfare.
Soleimani is an Iranian military figure with great influence in the Middle East region. He is believed to lead the Quds Force, a division or wing of Iran's Revolutionary Guard responsible for extraterritorial operations, including counter-intelligence in the region. Soleimani is also close to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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