ISIS claims responsibility for twin blasts that killed nearly 100 people in Iran

ISIS claimed responsibility on Thursday for two explosions that killed nearly 100 people and wounded scores at a ceremony in Iran to commemorate commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by a US drone in 2020.

The group posted a statement on its affiliate Telegram channels.

Investigators believe suicide bombers likely carried out the attack, state media reported Thursday, as Iran grappled with its worst militant attack in decades and as the wider Mideast remains on edge.

The report by the state-run IRNA news agency quoted an unnamed “informed source.”

Wednesday’s attack in Kerman killed at least 84 people and wounded another 284. It targeted a ceremony honoring Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, held as an icon by supporters of the country’s theocracy and viewed by the US military as a deadly foe who aided militants who killed American troops in Iraq.