President Biden's administration warned Iran of an impending terrorist attack prior to a blast that killed 94 people in early January, a U.S. official tells Fox News Digital.
The bombing attack took place at a memorial ceremony for Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by a U.S. drone strike on Jan. 3, 2020 under former President Trump's administration. The U.S. official did not detail Iran's response to the warning.
"Prior to ISIS’ terrorist attack on January 3, 2024, in Kerman, Iran, the U.S. Government provided Iran with a private warning that there was a terrorist threat within Iranian borders," the official told Fox.
"The U.S. Government followed a longstanding 'duty to warn' policy that has been implemented across administrations to warn governments against potential lethal threats. We provide these warnings in part because we do not want to see innocent lives lost in terror attacks," the official added.
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At least 94 people were killed in the attack and 284 others were injured. ISIS claimed responsibility for the strike shortly afterward.
"The blasts were caused by terrorist attacks," Iranian media quoted a local official as saying just after the attack. "Several gas canisters exploded on the road leading to the cemetery."
The U.S. warning and subsequent attack came amid severe tensions between Iran, the U.S. and Israel. Iran's proxy terrorist groups have attacked U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria more than 150 times since October, and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have harassed trade in the Red Sea. Hezbollah, another Iran-supported group, has threatened Israel's northern border with drone attacks.
The U.S. and Israel have carried out numerous attacks against Iran-backed groups in Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon in the weeks following the blasts in Iran.
U.S. forces targeted three facilities used by the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-linked groups on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
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The Kataib Hezbollah headquarters was targeted, along with storage, and training locations for rocket, missile, and one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities, U.S. Central Command said.
"These precision strikes are in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks against U.S. and Coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias," said Austin.
Fox News' Louis Casiano and Liz Friden contributed to this report
