Acts of terror will never undercut Irans cohesion, security: President Raeisi

“The Iranian nation’s enemies think that they can achieve their illegitimate goals via acts of terror, but the Iranian nation has proven that such crimes cannot disrupt its cohesion, security and strategy,” Raeisi said in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday.

Two terrorist blasts took place near the burial site of Iran’s late anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in the southeastern city of Kerman on Wednesday during a ceremony marking his fourth martyrdom anniversary.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said 84 people were killed in the bloody attacks. He added that the incident also left 284 wounded, some in critical condition.

Medical services said the death toll is expected to rise.

The initial death toll was higher, but it has since been revised down. According to Mohammad Saberi, the head of Kerman emergency services, the number was adjusted as some of the bodies were severely disfigured, making the count challenging.

Saberi further explained that the death toll currently stands at 84, as confirmed by the country’s Legal Medicine Organization.

In a statement on Wednesday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said those who ordered and carried out the twin terrorist attacks in Kerman will definitely face a fitting punishment and a harsh response.

Elsewhere in his phone conversation, Raeisi told the Turkish president that the future belongs to the Palestinian people and that the Zionists’ crimes would fail to achieve any outcome.

The Iranian president expressed hope that Israel’s “war machine” would be stopped as soon as possible through cooperation, coordination and consultation between Tehran and other countries, and the disastrous situation in Gaza would come to an end.

Erdogan, for his part, offered his sympathy and condolences to his Iranian counterpart over the heinous terrorist attack in Kerman.

He said the attack once again clearly highlighted the need to fight decisively against all forms of terrorism.

He once again reaffirmed Turkey’s readiness to cooperate with Iran in the battle against all forms of terrorism.

Meanwhile, in a phone conversation with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Wednesday, Raeisi said that having failed to achieve its goals in the ongoing genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza, the Israeli regime is currently under international pressure, desperately seeking to spread insecurity to other parts of the region.

“The Iranian nation has proven that such terrorist acts cannot dent their will, national cohesion and resilient spirit,” he emphasized.

Raeisi expressed confidence that further communication between Tehran and Doha at different levels will definitely lead to the development of bilateral, regional and international relations and play an effective role in the joint fight against the Israeli regime’s crimes.

For his part, the Qatari emir strongly condemned the cowardly crime of the terrorist attack in Kerman which he said was carried out by those seeking to spread insecurity in Iran.

Al Thani added that Qatar is assured about Iran’s national unity and stands united with the Islamic Republic.

He emphasized that Iran and Qatar must boost cooperation and hold deeper consultations with the regional and Muslim countries to stop the Israeli regime’s crimes against the oppressed people of Gaza.