Hossein Salami: The Revenge of the Martyrs Was Taken Before Their Martyrdom
Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Kerman, said at the funeral ceremony of those killed in the Kerman explosion: the revenge of the martyrs was taken before their martyrdom.
Authorities announced last Thursday night on December 14 that the funeral procession would be held by vehicle and asked people to refrain from attending Martyrs’ Cemetery due to space limitations and order during the burial of those killed.
The funeral and burial ceremony of the victims of the Kerman explosion was scheduled to be held from Gaza Street toward Kerman Martyrs’ Cemetery, but this plan was cancelled and the ceremony was held at Kerman’s main prayer grounds with the presence of some families and officials of the Islamic Republic. Mohammad Mehdi Fedakar, governor of Kerman, commenting on the claim that “security is fully established in Kerman,” said that the cancellation of the funeral ceremony was a decision of the provincial security council.
During the funeral ceremony, some people chanted “revenge, revenge” while following the bodies of the victims. Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, responded to their chants, saying: “The revenge of these martyrs was taken before their martyrdom.” It appears that the IRGC commander and regime officials had prior knowledge of such an explosion.
A number of Islamic Republic officials, including economic ministers, attended the ceremony. Videos and images of Ahmad Vahidi, Interior Minister, were released regarding the ceremony, which sparked reactions among social media users.
The videos show the Interior Minister in a hospital asking for details of the incident from an injured person who claims to have witnessed the suicide bomber. In another image, Ahmad Vahidi’s presence at the home of one of the victims has been released, showing him sitting on a couch while his host sits on the ground holding his plate and tea cup. The Farsi News Agency immediately deleted his image after the reactions.
The Interior Minister of the Islamic Republic, who had received the most accusations due to negligence in providing security, announced that the situation in Kerman is currently completely under the control of security forces.
Islamic Republic officials had accused the United States and Israel of involvement in the Kerman bombing incident, but ISIS released a statement yesterday taking responsibility for the bombing. Gholamhossein Gheibparvar, deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also responded to ISIS’s claim, saying: “ISIS, which has claimed responsibility for the terrorist explosions in Kerman, is a creature of America and is not in a position to warrant a response from us.”
