IRGC Twitter video capture
At least 95 people were killed in a bombing in Iran on the 3rd (local time) at a memorial site for former Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) General Qassem Soleimani. Iranian authorities initially said at least 103 people had died, but later lowered that number to 95.
According to foreign media such as the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a bomb exploded near Soleimani’s gravesite where a memorial service was being held, killing at least 95 people. His memorial service was held in Kerman, about 1,000 km southeast of the Iranian capital, Tehran.
A total of two explosions occurred at the memorial service. The first explosion occurred about 700 meters from Soleimani’s tomb at around 2:50 p.m. The second explosion occurred 1 km away. ISNA news agency reported that the explosions occurred 10 minutes apart.
No group has yet come forward to claim responsibility for this explosion. However, suspicion is turning to Israel because this bombing occurred after Israel killed high-ranking Hamas officials in a drone attack in the Lebanese capital Beirut the day before.
Kerman’s deputy prime minister, Raman Jalali, described the explosion as a “terrorist attack.” However, the Associated Press reported that it did not specify who was behind it.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted an Iranian official as saying, “It is unclear whether this incident was caused by a gas explosion or a terrorist attack.”
The BBC pointed out that the explosion occurred amid heightened tensions in the region after Saleh al-Aroui, the second member of the Iranian-backed Hamas political bureau and the third-highest ranking member, was killed in an Israeli drone attack in Lebanon.
If Israel is identified as being behind this explosion, concerns grow that Iran could intervene in the war between Israel and Hamas.
According to IRNA, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi appeared on a broadcast that day and expressed his stance to respond quickly, saying, “This terrorist attack will be followed by a resolute and destructive response from the security forces and military in the shortest possible time.”
He said that an investigation has already begun to determine the cause and origin of the attack.
Iran declared the day of the explosion a day of mourning.
Soleimani was the person in charge of the IRGC’s network of Iranian armed groups in the Middle East. He was Iran’s direct link to armed groups in the Middle East supported by Iran, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Houthi rebels in Yemen.
He was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 3, 2020. At the time, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that the assassination of Commander Soleimani was under orders from former President Trump.
After the news of the Iranian terrorist attack broke, international oil prices soared.
Oil prices jumped 1.8% with the news that the Sahara oil field, which produces 300,000 barrels a day, had begun a partial production cut due to sudden protests in Libya’s largest oil field, and then soared more than 3% after news of the Iranian terrorist attack broke.
According to CNBC, Brent crude oil, the international oil price standard, soared $2.31 (3.04%) per barrel to $78.20, and West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the U.S. oil price standard, soared $2.28 (3.24%) to $72.66 per barrel. Reporter Yoo-kyung Cho, Donga.com reporter [email protected]
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2024-01-03 21:58:00
