One hundred and three people were killed while dozens others injured in Iran on Wednesday after explosions rocked the burial site of Qassem Soleimani, an Iranian general killed in a United States drone strike in 2020.

According to the VOA, the incident occurred in Kerman, a town about 820 kilometers southeast of the capital, Tehran. An Iranian official called the incident a “terroristic” attack but no group has claimed responsibility for it.

Local media, Tasnim news agency, reported that “two bags carrying bombs went off” at the site and consequently claimed the lives of more than 100 people — Tasnim quoted what it called two informed sources, VOA reported.

Tasnim said “the perpetrators … of this incident apparently detonated the bombs by remote control” which the ISNA news agency quoting Kerman Mayor Saeed Tabrizi reported they went off 10 minutes apart.

Authorities said the second delay explosion was used by the perpetrators to target emergency workers responding to the initial blast. 

In a statement by Matthew Miller, a U.S. State Department spokesman on Wednesday, Washington distanced itself from the attack or any Israeli involvement while sending condolences to the victims of the attack.

“Our sympathies to the victims and their loved ones who died in this horrific explosion,” Mr Miller told reporters. “The United States was not involved in any way. And the suggestion to the contrary is ridiculous. And No. 2, we have no reason to believe that Israel is involved in this,” he added.