ISIS claims responsibility for deadly Iran bombing

by Brad Dress - 01/04/24 12:11 PM ET

Families of victims of the explosions gather at the courtyard of a hospital in the city of Kerman, about 510 miles (820 kilometres) southeast of the capital Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. Two bombs exploded Wednesday at a commemoration for a prominent Iranian general slain by the U.S. in a 2020 drone strike, Iranian officials said, as the Middle East remains on edge over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (Sare Tajalli, ISNA via AP) — Families of victims of the explosions gather at the courtyard of a hospital in the city of Kerman, about 510 miles (820 kilometres) southeast of the capital Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. (Sare Tajalli, ISNA via AP)

ISIS has claimed responsibility for a deadly Iran bombing that killed more than 80 people and wounded scores more.

ISIS, seen as a terrorist group by most of the world, said in a widely circulated statement that suicide bombers detonated explosive belts in the middle of the crowd that had gathered in the southeastern Iranian city of Kerman.

ISIS, an anti-Shia and anti-Iranian faction, has fought against Iran for years across the Middle East, and though largely defeated, it maintains a presence in the region.

A U.S. official on Wednesday said the working theory is that ISIS carried out the bombing, saying it was consistent with previous attacks.

The bombing killed 84 people and wounded more than 140 more in one of the deadliest attacks in Iran since 1979.

Iranians were gathered at the tomb site of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was slain in a U.S. drone strike in 2020.

Iran has vowed a harsh response to the attacks and has identified the bombing as carried out by terrorists.

Tags Iran Iran bombing ISIS kerman Qassem Soleimani