Iran Vows Revenge Following Deadliest Terror Attack in Country’s Modern History

Attack comes amid steadily mounting regional tension between Israel, its allies, and its longstanding foes.

An Iranian surface-to-surface missile is displayed next to a portrait of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 27, 2023. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

Iran has pledged to deliver a “firm response” to the perpetrators of a double bombing that left at least 84 people dead—and scores more injured—in its southeastern city of Kerman on Jan. 3.

“Iran’s enemies have once again inflicted disaster, martyring numerous people in Kerman,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, said in the immediate wake of the attack.