Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his condolences in response to twin bomb blasts that claimed the lives of over 100 people in Iran’s Kerman province on Wednesday.
The explosions occurred near the Martyrs Cemetery at the Saheb al-Zaman Mosque in the hometown of Qasem Soleimani, a prominent Iranian Revolutionary Guards general who was being commemorated by supporters four years after his death in a US drone strike in Baghdad.
The two explosions, labeled a “terrorist attack” by state media and regional authorities, took place about 15 minutes apart and left 103 people dead, with 181 reported wounded, some in critical condition, according to the official IRNA news agency.
İran’ın Kirman eyaletinde gerçekleştirilen menfur terör saldırılarından derin üzüntü duyduk. Saldırılarda hayatını kaybedenlere Allah’tan rahmet, yaralananlara acil şifalar diliyorum.
Dost ve kardeş İran halkına başsağlığı dileklerimi iletiyorum.
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) January 3, 2024
“We are deeply saddened by the heinous terrorist attacks in Iran’s Kerman province. I wish Allah’s mercy for those who lost their lives in the attacks and a speedy recovery for the injured. I convey my condolences to the friendly and brotherly Iranian people,” President Erdoğan stated on X.
The explosions occurred amid heightened tensions in the Middle East due to the ongoing war in Gaza and the killing of a senior Hamas leader in Lebanon a day earlier. Although the perpetrators remain unknown, the incident has been condemned by various world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, who called it “shocking in its cruelty and cynicism.”
Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, declared Thursday a national day of mourning, while Iran’s adversaries, including Israel and the United States, have denied any involvement in the attack. It is worth noting that Iran has faced previous attacks and bombings attributed to various militant groups.
As the investigation into the incident unfolds, a visit of President Raisi to Turkey, scheduled for Thursday, remains uncertain.