All opinions expressed in this article are solely the opinions of the contributors.
On Jan. 3, in the Iranian city of Kerman, explosions killed dozens of people near the burial site of the late IRGC Commander Qasem Soleimani. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place during a ceremony honoring the fourth anniversary of Soleimani’s death, caused by a U.S. drone strike in Iraq.
Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan contends that, regardless of the party responsible for the explosions, Iran’s susceptibility to events similar to this one stems from its own domestic security issues.
Excerpted from Peter’s Jan. 4 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:
There’s been a bombing in Iran that targeted the gathering for the four-year anniversary of Qasem Soleimani’s death. The attack resulted in at least 100 deaths and another 100+ injuries.
Given the nature of the attack, I doubt there is any U.S. or Israeli involvement; however, the more likely culprits are one of the local ethnic groups in the region. Rather than focusing on who carried out this specific attack, it’s a reminder of how vulnerable Iran is.
Iran has a highly complex ethnic composition, and individuals like Soleimani played a critical role in ‘putting out the little fires’ as they popped up throughout the country. Despite Iran’s broader importance and influence in the region, internal problems will continue to plague the country.
