India on Thursday expressed shock over what it called "terrible" twin bombings in Iran's Kerman city where 95 people were killed during a commemoration for slain Iranian General Qassem Solemani, who was killed in a US drone strike in 2020.
In a tweet, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, who took office on Wednesday, said New Delhi expressed its solidarity with the Iranian government and the people of that country.
"We are shocked and saddened by the terrible bombings in the Kerman City of Iran. At this difficult time, we express our solidarity with the government and the people of Iran. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and with the wounded," Jaiswal wrote on X.
Wednesday's twin explosions in Kerman, around 820 kilometres southeast of the capital Tehran, which left 95 dead and over 200 injured, were the deadliest in the history of the Islamic Republic.
The initial death toll was 103 but was lowered down to 95 after officials realised that some names had been repeated on a list of victims, according to Iranian Health Minister Bahram Eynollahi.
The blast hit near Soleimani's gravesite while hundreds had gathered to commemorate the fourth anniversary of his death. Soleimani, a once-powerful figure in Iran, was the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force. He was killed in a drone strike launched by the US at the Baghdad airport on January 3, 2020.
According to Iranian state television, the second blast was reported nearly 20 minutes after the first one.
No one claimed responsibility for the blasts. However, Iranian officials blamed unspecified "terrorists" for the explosion.
Source: India Today