Deputy Governor of Kerman Claims 'No Shortcomings' in 'Martyrs' Garden' Incident

Following last week's explosion at the 'Martyrs' Garden of Kerman city' that resulted in the deaths of over one hundred people, which some users attributed to 'the government's doing' and others to 'government's security negligence', the Deputy Governor of Kerman has claimed that 'no shortcomings' occurred on the part of government and security officials regarding the incident. According to Iranian media, Rahman Jalali, the political-security deputy of Kerman's governorate, stated in a press conference today, January 9, with representatives from various domestic media, that 'all the mountains overlooking the Martyrs' Garden area were under the control of the police forces (Faraaja)'. He further added, 'According to reports from the provincial prosecutor and the head of the judiciary organization of the armed forces, there was no negligence.' This statement comes despite Ahmad Tavakoli, head of the judiciary organization of the armed forces in Kerman, stating on January 6 during a special news program on the provincial Islamic Republic TV that '16 ready-to-explode bombs were discovered by opposing groups in Kerman, specifically for the Martyrs' Garden and the grave of Haj Qasem.' This senior judicial official of the Islamic Republic further claimed, 'Before the anniversary, over 60 ready-to-explode bombs were discovered in several provinces, which were intended to be detonated before the ceremonies, and their cases were closed.' On the other hand, the deadly explosions on Wednesday, January 3, during the government ceremony marking the anniversary of Qasem Soleimani's death, which resulted in over one hundred deaths and one hundred fifty injuries, sparked widespread reactions on social media. While Ahmad Vahidi, the Islamic Republic's Minister of Interior, described these explosions as 'the work of the enemy' and promised a 'strong blow' to the perpetrators of this incident, some social media users and observers believe that these explosions were 'their own doing.' Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam, director of the Iran Human Rights Organization, condemned the attack, stating that the people of Kerman have once again 'fallen victim to terrorism' and that 'the people of Iran are victims of an ineffective and corrupt government whose so-called security forces spend their resources on suppressing citizens for improper hijab and dissent instead of ensuring security.' Rahman Jalali also claimed regarding the security measures taken on the day of the incident, 'For the first time in the Martyrs' Garden, a monitoring situation room was established, and there are no blind spots in the garden.' Many critics within Iran have recently addressed the Islamic Republic, saying, 'Instead of focusing on women's hijabs (referring to the police's moral patrols for controlling women's dress), focus on ensuring security.' The U.S. Department of State described the explosions during the government ceremony marking the fourth anniversary of Qasem Soleimani's death as 'horrific' and expressed condolences to the victims' families. Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, stated on January 3 at a press conference, 'We are monitoring the reports.' After this incident, ISIS claimed responsibility for the deadly explosions. This was one of several terrorist operations that this Islamist group has carried out in recent years in Iran, despite Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force, having announced the 'end' of ISIS in a letter to Ali Khamenei several years ago.