Deadly Bombing in Iran Kills Dozens as Tensions Rise Across the Middle East
Twin explosions in the Iranian province of Kerman killed dozens and injured hundreds Wednesday at a memorial for top Revolutionary Guards general Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a U.S. drone strike four years ago in Iraq. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iran has placed blame on Israel and the U.S, while U.S. officials and regional experts have suggested ISIS as the culprit. Our guest, Iranian historian Arash Azizi, discusses the potential sources of the attack, the scale of the tragedy - which occurred on Mother's Day in Iran and may count among its victims civilians visiting their mothers' graves - and fears of wider war in the midst of Israel's ongoing violence in Gaza. Azizi, who has authored a book on Soleimani's assassination, calls the double blast one of the deadliest - if not the deadliest - attacks of its kind in recent history."