Iranian Leaders Vow Revenge at Funeral for Victims of Bomb Attack, State Media Reports

Iran's president and the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed revenge during the funeral for victims of twin Islamic State bombings in Kerman.

Nearly 100 people died at the memorial for Qassem Soleimani, assassinated in Iraq in 2020. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that two of its members detonated explosive belts in the crowded cemetery.

IRGC commander Major-General Hossein Salami declared, "We will find you wherever you are." President Ebrahim Raisi emphasized Iran's strength, stating, "Our forces will decide on the place and time to take action." Mourners chanted "revenge" and anti-American slogans.

Tehran accuses Israel and the U.S. of supporting anti-Iran groups. The bombings, the deadliest since 1979, occurred amid Israel's conflict with Hamas.

In 2022, Islamic State claimed a deadly attack on a Shi'ite shrine in Iran, and in 2017, it targeted Iran's parliament and Ayatollah Khomeini's tomb.