Iran Arrests 11 Suspects Over Deadly Twin Blasts

Facts

Iran's security forces have detained 11 suspects in connection with twin bomb blasts that killed nearly 100 people in Kerman on Jan. 3, authorities announced Friday.¹
The arrests come after the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it a 'dual martyrdom operation' and identified the suicide bombers as Omar al-Mowahid and Sayefulla al-Mujahid.²
According to IS, its militants 'activated their explosives vests' at a memorial service for Iran's slain military commander, Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated by the US in Iraq in 2020.³
Their admission comes as the victims of the attacks were laid to rest in Kerman's Emam Ali mosque, with Iranian Pres. Ebrahim Raisi vowing revenge for the killings that reportedly killed at least 30 children.⁴
Raisi, who canceled a scheduled trip to Turkey on Thursday, also blamed Israel for the deadly attacks and warned Tel Aviv would pay a 'heavy price.'⁵
Meanwhile, Washington denied allegations of US or Israeli involvement in the twin strikes, which appeared to be the deadliest attack in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.⁶

Pro-Iran narrative, as provided by Irna. Although IS claims it's behind the nefarious attacks and the suspects arrested are all affiliated with the terrorist group, the circumstances surrounding the plot — particularly amid the current regional instability — suggests something larger may be at play. Pres. Raisi will get to the bottom of this and bring actors, both domestic and foreign, to justice.
Anti-Iran narrative, as provided by New York Times. While blame for the attack was falsely placed on Israel and the US, the true culprit is IS, which seized an opportunity to strike against its enemy. This wasn't a covert operation by foreign powers but rather a well-planned terrorist attack tied to the centuries-long clash between Sunnis and Shiites.