ISIS claims responsibility for twin Iran blasts that left nearly 100 dead

The Islamic State claimed responsibility on Thursday for the twin bombings that killed 84 people in Kerman, Iran, near late Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani’s burial site. 

ISIS said in a statement on its Telegram channel that it carried out Wednesday’s attack, calling the slain leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp’s elite force a “hypocrite” and referring to the victims as “polytheists.” The group named two ISIS operatives, Omar al-Muwahid and Saifullah al-Mujahid, as responsible for the attacks.

On Wednesday Iranian officials labeled the bombing a “terrorist attack,” but had pointed fingers at the United States and Israel.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs, Mohammad Jamshidi, said, “The responsibility for this crime lies with the US and Zionist regimes and terrorism is just a tool.”

The attacks marked the deadliest in Iran in over 40 years, killing at least 84 people and wounding nearly 300.

This breaking story has been updated since initial publication.