India shocked and saddened by horrific Iran bombings (MEA)

India is shocked and saddened by the "terrible bomb attacks" in the Iranian city of Kerman on Wednesday.

“In this difficult time, we express our solidarity with the government and people of Iran. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and those injured,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a social media post on Thursday. According to Iranian authorities, at least 103 people died and more than 200 were injured in the terrorist attacks.

Iranian officials say Israel was behind terror attack

Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations (UN) has claimed that Israel was behind the deadly terrorist attacks.

“Fear of the Zionist regime and its puppet terrorist groups led to another crime in Kerman during the memorial ceremony of General Qassem Soleimani,” Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations, said in a statement on Thursday. a message published on social networks.'

In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Nicolas de Rivière, president of the UN Security Council, Iravani said a thorough investigation was underway to identify and "arrest" the perpetrators. of the deliberate attack.

“We urge the Secretary-General and the Security Council to unequivocally condemn this terrible terrorist attack. “The request is in line with the Secretary-General's firm position and the Security Council's long-standing practice of unequivocally condemning terrorism and recognizing it through resolutions as a serious threat to international peace and security,” the letter reads.

Mojtaba Zolnouri, deputy speaker of Iran's parliament, said the "non-suicide attack" appeared to have been orchestrated by Israel.

“We will punish the Zionist regime with a revenge that will have global operational value,” Zolnouri told Iranian media.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said Tehran had initiated legal action through the United Nations to bring those responsible to justice.

President Ebrahim Raisi said in a message that the perpetrators of the attacks would be brought to justice and promised swift punishment for the attack. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei promised a firm response to the attack.

The United States and Israel deny responsibility

The US State Department has rejected allegations that it or Israel was involved in the deadly attack in Iran.

“…I would like to address some of the irresponsible assertions that I have seen circulating and say that, first, the United States was not involved in any way and that any assertion to the contrary is ridiculous; And second, we have no reason to believe that Israel was involved in this explosion,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a news conference Wednesday.

Miller said he could not provide Iran with “independent information” about who might be behind the attack.

“We express our condolences to the victims and their families who lost their lives in this terrible explosion. “Like I said, it's too early, at least for us, to say what the cause might be,” Miller said.