At least 35 people were killed and dozens were injured after twin blasts ripped through a crowd who had gathered in Iran’s Ahvaz city to commemorate the anniversary of the death of slain Iranian commander Lt. Gen. Qassem Suleimani.
The explosions occurred near the site of Suleimani’s grave, located in a cemetery in Ahvaz. As of yet, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attacks appear to be part of a larger trend of violence in the region, as Suleimani was killed by a US airstrike in January 2020, leading to a retaliatory missile attack by Iran on a US military base in Iraq. Iran has since blamed US allies in the region, including Saudi Arabia, for orchestrating a string of political assassinations and other attacks in the country.
Although it is still unclear who was behind the Ahvaz attack, the use of explosives points to the involvement of a more sophisticated attacker. The attack also comes within days of a similar attack in Iraq, where at least five people were killed and dozens wounded in a suspected suicide bombing in Baghdad.
The violence points to the continued instability in the Middle East, and the danger posed by groups seeking to further their political and social goals through violence. It is too soon to draw definitive conclusions, but what is clear is that the region is rapidly becoming a powder keg that could lead to further deaths and destruction in the near future.