ISIS claims responsibility for bombings in Iran that killed 84 people

The Thursday for two bombings in Iran that killed 84 people a day earlier. ISIS said two suicide bombers carried out the attack, which targeted a procession in Kerman honoring on the fourth anniversary of his death in a U.S. drone strike. Iranian authorities initially believed the two bombs were placed in suitcases and detonated remotely.

However, surveillance video appeared to show at least one of the , according to Iranian officials. ISIS identified the two bombers as . The group said both attackers used explosive vests. The just before 3 p.m. Wednesday in Kerman, as hundreds of people gathered outside Kerman Martyrs Cemetery to honor Soleimani.

As panicked mourners fled in all directions, the second bomb detonated about 20 minutes later. Investigators in Iran said the second blast was deadlier and more powerful. Initial , but the death toll was later revised down to 84. Authorities said some victims had been counted twice because their wounds were so severe.

An estimated 284 people were wounded, and dozens remained in critical condition on Thursday. ISIS has carried out two terror attacks in Iran in the past 16 months. In October 2022, . ISIS is a Sunni extremist group, while Iran is a majority Shiite nation with Shiite leaders. Despite the lower death toll, Wednesday’s attack remained the deadliest in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Before the bombings, the deadliest incident was the , which killed 72 people. Supporters of the Iranian regime have honored Soleimani yearly after he was killed on Jan. 3, 2020 at a Baghdad airport. Soleimani was , described as a “shadow commander” of Iran backed groups in the Middle East..