Two explosions in Kerman caused extensive casualties on a day that also marked the fourth anniversary ofGeneral Qasem Soleimani’s death. Official reports indicate that at least 73 people died and around 170 were injured as the city was crowded with mourners and supporters gathered near Soleimani’s burial site. Soleimani, who led Iran’s Quds Force, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad ordered by a former president. Eyewitnesses and emergency services described a tense scene shortly after the commemoration began, with the first blast happening roughly 700 meters from the cemetery and the second following thirteen minutes later. The timing and location suggested a coordinated attack, though investigators have yet to publicly confirm a definitive operational link between the two blasts.
Iranian authorities labeled the incident a terrorist attack, noting that two suitcases packed with explosives were remotely detonated in a zone believed to be under the influence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the military-political force that governs significant influence in Tehran. While no group immediately claimed responsibility, investigators have stressed the need to identify those responsible and their possible affiliations within the broader security landscape of the region. The unfolding incident came on the heels of another high-profile event in Beirut, where a senior Hamas official, Saleh Al Arouri, was killed. The attack has been framed within a pattern of tensions involving Hamas and allied militias tied to Tehran’s regional bloc, collectively described in multiple analyses as part of the Axis of Resistance.
What follows is a review of long-standing regional dynamics that shape such violent incidents. Across the past years, various groups have conducted attacks that target civilians in Iran, while other operations have targeted Iranian officials connected to the nuclear program. The broader context reveals a cycle of retaliation and strategic signaling that extends beyond borders, influencing security decisions and humanitarian responses in neighboring states as authorities work to prevent further harm. Officials have highlighted the crowded nature of the site as a major factor in the scale of injuries, noting that panic and rapid dispersal by bystanders can complicate rescue efforts and hamper response times. As investigations proceed, authorities in Iran are pursuing a thorough reconstruction of events, seeking to establish the sequence of actions and identify the networks or actors responsible for the explosions. Independent observers have urged restraint and careful verification while analyses continue to unfold.