Over 100 dead in bomb blasts near Iran general Qasem Soleimani's tomb

TEHRAN: At least 103 people have been killed by two bomb blasts near the tomb of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on the fourth anniversary of his assassination by the US, Iran's state media reported on Wednesday.

Soleimani was seen as the most powerful figure in Iran after the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, before he was killed in a US drone strike in neighbouring Iraq in 2020.

Irib, Iran's State Broadcaster, said dozens more people were wounded when the blasts hit a procession near the Saheb al-Zaman mosque in the southern city of Kerman.

It cited Kerman's deputy governor as saying it was a "terrorist attack". Videos showed bodies on a road and ambulances rushing to the scene.

It was not clear who was behind the explosions and there were no immediate claims from any groups.

Iranian media reported that the first reportedly occurred at 14:50 local time (11:20 GMT), about 700m (2,300ft) from the Garden of Martyrs cemetery around the Saheb al-Zaman mosque.

The second took place about 15 minutes later, around 1km away from the cemetery, they said.

State media cited the local emergency services department as saying 103 people had been killed and another 141 wounded by the blasts. Some of the wounded were in a critical condition, they added.