India has left shocked and saddened at the "terrible bombings" in the Iranian city of Kerman on Wednesday.
“At 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 with the wounded,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a social media post on Thursday.
The terrorists attacks have left at least 103 people dead and over 200 injured, according to Iranian authorities.
Iranian Officials Say Israel Behind the Terrorist Attack
Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations (UN) has alleged that Israel was behind the deadly terrorist bombings.
“The fear of the Zionist regime and its puppet terrorist groups led to another crime in Kerman during his (General Qassem Soleimani’s) commemoration ceremony,” Amir Saeid Iravani, the Iranian Permanent Representative to the UN said in a social media post on Thursday. '
In a letter addressed to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Nicolas de Riviere, the President of the UN Security Council, Iravani said that a comprehensive investigation was underway to identify and "apprehend the perpetrators the premeditated attack".
“We urgently implore the Secretary-General and the Security Council to condemn the horrific terrorist attack unequivocally. The request aligns with the Secretary General’s unwavering stance and the established practice of the Security Council in unequivocal condemnation of terrorism and recognition of it as a grave threat to international peace and security through resolutions,” the letter read.
Mojtaba Zolnouri, the deputy speaker of the Iranian parliament, said that the “non-suicidal attack” seemed to have been orchestrated by Israel.
“We will punish the Zionist regime with a revenge that will have global operational value,” Zolnouri was quoted as saying in Iranian media.
Foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has said that Tehran has begun its legal actions through the UN to bring the perpetrators to justice.
President Ebrahim Raisi said in a message that the perpetrators of the bombings would be brought to justice, as he vowed swift punishment for the attack.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has vowed a strong response to the attack.
US, Israel Deny Responsibility
The US State Department has rejected the charge that it or Israel was involved in the deadly bombing in Iran.
“… I do want to address some of the irresponsible claims that I have seen circulate and say that, number one, the United States was not involved in any way, and any suggestion to the contrary is ridiculous; and number two, we have no reason to believe that Israel was involved in this explosion,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told a press briefing on Wednesday.
Miller stated that he didn’t have an “independent information” to offer to Iran as to who could be behind the attack.
“We do express our sympathies to the victims and their loved ones who died in this horrific explosion. As I said, it’s too early, at least for us, to be able to say what might have caused it,” stated Miller.