Over 100 killed in blasts near Qasem Soleimani’s grave in Iran

At least 100 were killed in blasts near the grave of the late Iran's top commander Qassem Soleimani on Wednesday, the anniversary of his killing, according to global media reports.

Two explosions were heard near the Saheb al-Zaman Mosque in Kerman in southern Iran, where Soleimani is buried.

"The blasts were caused by terrorist attacks," state media quoted a local official in the Kerman province as saying.

Babak Yektaparast, a spokesperson for Iran's emergency services, was reported later as saying 73 people had been killed and 170 injured, reports Reuters.

The semi-official Nournews had said earlier that "several gas canisters exploded on the road leading to the cemetery".

State TV showed Red Crescent rescuers attending to wounded people at the ceremony, where hundreds of Iranians had gathered to mark the anniversary of Soleimani's death. Some Iranian news agencies said the number of wounded people was much higher.

"Our rapid response teams are evacuating the injured... But there are waves of crowds blocking roads," Reza Fallah, head of the Kerman province Red Crescent told state TV.