Tehran: Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and EU foreign policy chief Josef Borrell, in a telephone conversation on Wednesday, condemned the terrorist attacks in the Iranian city of Kerman and discussed the situation in the Middle East, including the Gaza Strip, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.
Earlier on Wednesday, two explosions occurred at the entrance to the cemetery in Kerman during a ceremony on the fourth anniversary of the murder of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. Iranian Minister of Health and Medical Education Bahram Eynollahi confirmed the death of 95 people in the twin explosion, while 211 other people have been reportedly injured in the blasts.
“European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josef Borrell has strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in the Iranian city of Kerman during a telephone conversation with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian,” the ministry’s statement read.
The EU foreign policy chief offered his condolences to the families of the victims and Iran’s government and people and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. Iran’s foreign minister, for his part, thanked Borrell “for sympathizing with Iran over the Kerman attacks” and “referred to the necessity of the international community to fight different forms of terrorism.”
The officials also exchanged views on the latest developments in the region, including the situation in the Gaza Strip, the statement said.
Soleimani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, was killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad on January 3, 2020. Washington claimed he was involved in organizing the attack on the US embassy in Baghdad on December 31, 2019. In response, Iran launched strikes on US bases in Iraq, including the al-Asad Airbase.
