Türkiye expresses condolence upon the deadly terrorist attack in Iran

Türkiye stands by Iran in fight against terrorism, President Erdogan told his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi in a phone call following the deadly attack in Kerman city.

The Turkish president on Wednesday expressed condolences to his Iranian counterpart over the deadly explosions near the tomb of slain Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, Türkiye's Communications Directorate said in a statement posted on X.

Condemning the terrorist attack on civilians, Erdogan expressed Türkiye’s support for Iran in the fight against terrorism and wished the Iranian people patience for their losses.

During the call, Erdogan reiterated his call for joint action in the fight against terrorism with Iran.

Meanwhile, it was decided to postpone the visit of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Türkiye to a later date. Raisi was scheduled to arrive in Türkiye on Thursday.

Condolences from the officials

On early Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also offered condolences to Iran over the deadly explosions near the tomb of slain Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, in a post he wrote in X.

"We are deeply saddened by the heinous terrorist attacks carried out in the Kerman province of Iran. I wish God's mercy to those who lost their lives in the attacks and a speedy recovery to those who were injured," Erdogan said.

Following the attack, Turkish Foreign Ministry also expressed the condolence to the people losing their loved ones in a separate statement.

"We vehemently denounce this cowardly act of terror and extend our deepest condolences to the people and government of Iran," Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

For his part, Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus took X to say that he condemns “the terrorist attacks” that took place in Kerman.

“May Allah have mercy on those who lost their lives, a speedy recovery to those who were injured, and my condolences and wishes to get well soon to the friendly Iranian people,” he added.

The incident unfolded with an explosion in Kerman, causing widespread damage and casualties. Authorities are actively engaged in responding to the aftermath and conducting investigations into the nature of the attack.

Two explosions

At least 103 people were killed in Iran as two bombs in quick succession struck a crowd commemorating slain general Qasem Soleimani on the anniversary of his killing.

Wednesday's blasts, which state television called a "terrorist attack", came with tensions running high in the Middle East a day after Hamas senior Saleh al Aruri was killed in a drone attack on a Beirut southern suburb which Lebanese officials blamed on Israel.

The blasts struck near the Saheb al Zaman Mosque in Kerman, Soleimani's southern hometown where he is buried, as supporters gathered to mark the fourth anniversary of his killing in a US drone strike just outside Baghdad airport.

The tomb of Qasem Soleimani

The explosions took place on a route leading to the cemetery in the southeastern city of Kerman where Soleimani, the former head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, was laid to rest, according to state media.

Soleimani was killed on January 3, 2020 in a US drone strike outside Baghdad airport in Iraq.

Iran's emergency services put all hospitals and healthcare centers on alert to attend to the injured.

Officials in Tehran have not commented on the incident yet.​​​​​​​

According to Anadolu Agency sources, the venue of the ceremony in Kerman has been vacated by security forces and people have been asked to return home.