TEHRAN, Jan 4: Iran blamed Israel and the United States on Wednesday for twin bomb blasts that killed at least 84 people in the countrys south, ripping through a crowd commemorating Revolutionary Guards general Qasem Soleimani four years after his death in a US strike.
The two explosions -- labelled a "terrorist attack" by state media and regional authorities -- came amid high Middle East tensions over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the killing of a Hamas senior leader in Lebanon on Tuesday.
The unclaimed attacks, which sparked fears of a widening conflict in the region, rattled global markets, where oil prices jumped more than three percent and sparked global condemnation.
"Washington says USA and Israel had no role in terrorist attack in Kerman, Iran. Really? A fox smells its own lair first," the Iranian presidents political deputy, Mohammad Jamshidi wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"Make no mistake. The responsibility for this crime lies with the US and Zionist regimes (Israel) and terrorism is just a tool," he added.
The United States had earlier rejected any suggestions that it or ally Israel were involved while Israel declined to comment.
"The United States was not involved in any way... We have no reason to believe that Israel was involved in this explosion," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Asked about the blasts, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said: "We are focused on the combat with Hamas."
Irans supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed "evil and criminal enemies" of the country for the attack and vowed a "harsh response". —AFP
