ISIS takes credit for Qasem Soleimani memorial bombings as mourning Iran vows revenge

ISIS, also known as Daesh, has asserted responsibility for the twin blasts near the burial site of Qasem Soleimani in southern Iran, resulting in at least 84 fatalities and 284 injuries, marking the deadliest attack in Iran since the 1979 revolution. 

The claim was made over 24 hours after the explosions, with Daesh's Al-Furqan media wing stating that two suicide bombers targeted Shiite mourners commemorating the fourth anniversary of Soleimani's assassination.

The Daesh statement, titled "And Kill Them Wherever You Find Them," identified the bombers and alleged they detonated their explosive vests among "polytheists" near Soleimani's grave. 

However, no further evidence was provided, and the reported death toll by Daesh significantly exceeded Iranian officials' figures.

Iran has yet to officially respond to Daesh's claim. Iran's interior minister described the two explosions, with the second being deadlier, occurring in quick succession. 

The exact nature of the blasts differs between Daesh and Iranian media, with the former suggesting suicide bombers and the latter proposing a remote detonation from a suitcase in a car.

Videos from the scene depicted chaotic scenes of people running, bloodied bodies, and ambulances navigating through the crowds. Iran declared a day of mourning, and President Ebhrahim Raisi cancelled a planned trip to Turkey. Amid accusations, President Raisi had initially blamed Israel for the explosions, while Israel's military declined to comment.

Before Daesh's claim, analysts and a U.S. official speculated that the incident resembled a terrorist attack, bearing the hallmarks of Daesh's past actions. 

Soleimani, the target of the attack, was a prominent Iranian figure and the head of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the US He was assassinated in a US airstrike on January 3, 2020.