Northern Cyprus condemns ‘terror attacks’ in Iran

By Merve Berker

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Thursday condemned “terror attacks” in Iran that left more than 80 people dead on Wednesday.

Expressing “sadness” over the attacks, a TRNC Foreign Ministry statement said: “We condemn this terrorist attack and extend our condolences to the relatives of those who have lost their lives as well as to the Government and people of Iran and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.”

At least 84 people were killed and 220 others injured in twin explosions that ripped through the southeastern city of Kerman on Wednesday, in close vicinity to the cemetery where Iran's former top military commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani was buried.

Many of the injured people are still in critical condition, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said.

Thousands of people had gathered there to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the death of Soleimani, the former chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, who was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020.

The cause of the explosions is still being investigated by security agencies. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, the deadliest in the post-1979 history of Iran.