The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the two suicide bombings in Kerman, targeting a ceremony commemorating Iranian Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani’s death, Associated Press reports.
The attacks killed at least 84 people and wounded 284 others, making it the deadliest militant attack in Iran in decades. The group identified the attackers as Omar al-Mowahed and Seif-Allah al-Mujahed and used disparaging language towards Shiites.
The Islamic State likely aims to exploit the regional chaos, particularly amid Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza, in the hope that Iran will retaliate, potentially widening the conflict and creating opportunities for the extremist group.
