Hundreds of thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets to call for revenge after US assassination of IRGC Quds Force commander General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad.
Massive crowds rallied in many cities across the country to display their resolve to avenge General Soleimani, who was assassinated along several others, including Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy chief of the Iraqi pro-government Popular Mobilization Units (PMU).
The protesters expressed solidarity with General Soleimani’s family and echoed an statement by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who earlier in the day vowed a “severe revenge” in response to the move by the US military.
In capital Tehran, tens of thousands of people attending the Friday prayers held a rally after the event, carrying signs that warned the United States, Israel and their regional allies of harsh consequences.
Leading the prayers this week was Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami, who said the attack means “Americans around the world will never experience calm again.”
He said General Soleimani was the mastermind of the battle against the Western-backed Daesh terrorist group and the administration of US President Donald Trump will pay the price for assassinating him.
“The Americans should beware that they did not achieve victory here and rather took one more step towards annihilation,” Ayatollah Khatami said. “Today, the world and the resistance movements in Syria, Lebanon and other places are mourning Gen. Soleimani and want to avenge his blood.”
“The Americans, Trump in particular, can rest assured that Gen. Soleimani’s blood will erupt and we will take our revenge against them and turn their bright day into black night,” he said.
In his sermon, which was mostly dedicated to the Iranian general, Aytaollah Khatami also said the US strike shows it is time to purge US forces from the region.
“The time has arrived for the resistance to tell the Americans in practice to ‘Get out of the region you savages!’” he asserted.
In General Soleimani’s hometown of Kerman, huge crowds took to the streets to vent their anger at the United States.
Thousands of people gathered at General Soleimani’s house in the provincial capital of Kerman, where he used to hold annual mourning ceremonies for Shia Imams on their martyrdom anniversaries.
Hojjatoleslam Hassan Alidadi, Kerman’s Friday imam, said the resistance front will even the score with the US.
Thousands of people demonstrate in Kerman, the hometown of IRGC Quds Force Commander General Qassem Soleimani, to mourn his martyrdom following a targeted strike by the US military in Iraq on Friday, January 3, 2019. (Photo by Fars News)
“The outcome of this bloodshed is the end of US military presence in the region and the resistance front’s final victory over Israel,” he said.
Similar events were held in Qom, Tabriz, Lorestan and other cities.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei speaks to IRGC Quds Force commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani in this file photo.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says those who assassinated IRGC Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani must await a harsh revenge.
In a statement on Friday, Ayatollah Khamenei said the “cruelest people on earth” assassinated the “honorable” commander who “courageously fought for years against the evils and bandits of the world.”
His demise will not stop his mission, but the criminals who have the blood of General Soleimani and other martyrs of the Thursday night attack on their hands must await a harsh revenge, the Leader added.
“Martyr Soleimani is an international figure of the Resistance, and all the devotees of Resistance are now his avengers,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
"All the friends and foes must know that the path of Jihad of the Resistance will continue with double motivation, and a definite victory awaits those who fight in this auspicious path," the Leader said.
“The demise of our selfless and dear general is bitter, but the continued fight and achievement of the final victory will make life bitterer for the murderers and criminals,” he added.
In his statement, the Leader also offered condolences to the Iranian nation and General Soleimani’s family, and declared three days of national mourning.
What follows is the full text of the Leader's statement:
In the Name of God
Dear nation of Iran!
The great and honorable commander of Islam became heavenly. Last night, the untainted souls of the martyrs embraced the pure soul of Qassem Soleimani. After years of sincere and courageous fight against the devils and evil-doers of the world and after years of wishing for martyrdom in the path of God, alas, dear Soleimani attained this lofty position and his pure blood was spilled by the vilest of human beings.
I congratulate Hazrat Baqiyatullah- may our souls be sacrificed for him- and his [Soleimani’s] own pure soul on this great martyrdom and I express my condolences to the Iranian nation.
He was a stellar example of those educated and nurtured in Islam and the school of Imam Khomeini (RA). He spent his entire life fighting in the path of God.
Martyrdom was his reward for years of implacable efforts. With his departure and with God's power, his work and path will not cease and harsh revenge awaits those criminals who have tainted their filthy hands with his blood and the blood of the other martyrs of last night's incident.
Martyr Soleimani is the international face of the resistance, and all who have a heart-felt connection to the resistance seek revenge for his blood.
All friends - and also all foes - should know that the path of fight and resistance continues with increased motivation and certain victory awaits the fighters on this blessed path.
The absence of our dear and self-sacrificing commander is bitter, but the continuation of the resistance and its final victory will be bitterer for the murderers and criminals.
The Iranian nation will cherish the name and memory of the towering martyr, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, together with his fellow martyrs especially the great fighter of Islam the honorable Mr. Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. I declare three days of public mourning in the country and I congratulate and express my condolences to his honorable wife, dear children and family.
Later in the day, the IRGC spokesman General Ramezan Sharif warned that the US' "momentary pleasure" after assassinating General Soleimani will be short-lived, and will soon turn into lamentation.
He also said the IRGC is going to open a new chapter from now on and the front of resistance is going to set out a new starting point.
'Iran more determined now'
Following the Leader’s remarks, President Hassan Rouhani strongly condemned the attack, and said the US assassination will make Iran and other free nations more determined to stand against Washington.
“The martyrdom of the great commander of Islam and Iran, and the courageous commander of the Quds Force, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, along with some of his companions especially the great fighter Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, by the aggressive and criminal US broke the heart of the entire nation of Iran and regional nations,” President Rouhani said in a Friday statement.
The assassination “doubled the determination of the great nation of Iran and other free nations to stand against and resist the excessive demands of the US and to defend the Islamic values,” he added.
“There is no doubt that this cowardly and evil move is another sign of the US’ desperation, inability and failure in the region, and the hatred felt by the regional nations toward this criminal regime,” Rouhani noted.
“The great nation of Iran and other free nations of the region will take revenge for this heinous crime against the criminal US,” he warned.
Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami also vowed that revenge will be taken against all those behind the assassination.
“Undoubtedly, this heinous crime which is a strong proof of the evil nature of the Big Satan, the arrogant US and it’s all-out support for terrorism in the region and Iraq, will be responded to in a crushing way,” the defense minister warned.
Earlier, former commander of the IRGC Major General Mohsen Rezaei also vowed a harsh revenge against the perpetrators.
Details of the attack
Speaking to Iran's state TV, the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad Iraj Masjedi explained that the US' missile attacks hit two cars transferring General Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and 10 companions and bodyguards from Baghdad Airport to the city at 1 am (local time).
According to Masjedi, all the passengers have been killed, and arrangements are being made for their return to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Similar events were held in Qom, Tabriz, Lorestan and other cities.
Supporters of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement, watch him speak through a giant screen at a mosque in the Lebanese capital Beirut's southern suburbs on November 1, 2019. (Photo by AFP)
Secretary General of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said that resistance forces across the world bear responsibility of punishing those behind the assassination of Major General Qassem Soleimani.
"Meting out the just punishment to these criminal assassins, which are the worst criminals of the world, will be the responsibility and task of all resistance fighters worldwide," the Hezbollah chief said in a statement on Friday.
Nasrallah added that his group will continue the path of the assassinated commander and that Washington will fail in achieving its goals with these "big crimes".
"We who stayed by his side will follow in his footsteps and strive day and night to accomplish his goals," Nasrallah said
"We will carry a flag on all battlefields and all fronts and we will step up the victories of the 'axis of resistance' with the blessing of his pure blood," he added.
The "resistance axis" is used to refer to an emerging front in the Middle East which includes Iran, Syria and other regional countries and forces such as Hezbollah, which are opposed to the US and Israeli hegemony over the region.
Nassrallah's remarks came after the IRGC confirmed earlier on Friday that Major General Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC, had been assassinated in US airstrikes in Baghdad.
The attack also led to the death of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU).
Iran Leader vows 'harsh revenge' following assassination of Gen. Soleimani.
Added determination to follow path of 'resistance's martyrs'
The Syrian government also condemned the attack as "a serious escalation of the situation", saying the US is resorting to "the methods of criminal gangs," SANA news agency reported.
Syria is "certain that this cowardly US aggression... will only strengthen determination to follow in the path of the resistance's martyred leaders," a foreign ministry official said.
The unnamed official said the strike was "part of the (US) policy aiming to create tensions and fuel conflict in countries in the region."
Late Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (L), and late Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, second-in-command of the Iraqi pro-government Popular Mobilization Units (file photo by Tasnim news agency)
Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement has vehemently condemned the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), in US airstrikes in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
The politburo of Ansarullah in a statement on Friday described the operation as a war crime by the White House against the entire Muslim Ummah, the anti-Israel axis of resistance and the Palestinian cause.
“Washington assumed it could get rid of General Soleimani by means of his targeted killing, but one can rest assured that his blood will chase Americans more than ever,” it said.
The statement then called on Middle East nations to realize that their security and stability hinge upon the advancement of the project of liberation, and expulsion of occupying US troops from the region.
'General Soleimani’s blood will put terrible curse on Israel'
Meanwhile, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, slammed the assassination, stating that the top Iranian general dedicated himself to the Palestinian cause and support for the axis of resistance.
The Palestinian group said in a statement that General Soleimani’s efforts focused primarily on the elimination of the Zionist entity and its occupation of Palestinian lands, and made his best endeavors to provide all forms of support to the axis of resistance in order to confront the Zionist enemy.
“Undoubtedly, his great role in this path made him a favorite target for (the United States of) America and the Zionist enemy. We offer our deepest condolences to our brethren in the Islamic Republic of Iran for the loss of such a great figure, and assure Arab and Muslim nations that the resistance front in Palestine will continue its struggle of confronting the Zionist enemy – the source of all evils in the entire Middle East.
“We are certain that the blood of Hajj Qassem Soleimani will be a curse on his assassins and the Zionist occupation regime,” the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said.
Moreover, al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, stated that General Soleimani long offered direct support to the Palestinian cause, and transferred a great deal of military and security expertise to the Palestinian resistance group.
“Today, we bid farewell to a combatant leader, who used to instill fear into the hearts of the US and the Zionist entity. The axis of the resistance will neither be defeated nor shattered, but would rather increase its cohesion and strength in the face of Zionist-American projects,” said Abu Hamza, a spokesman for the al-Quds Brigades.
Hezbollah to continue treading the path of General Soleimani’s
Separately, the secretary-general of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah severely censured the assassination of the top Iranian general in Baghdad early on Friday, emphasizing that Hezbollah will continue his path.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in a statement released on Friday, underscored that the “murderous Americans would not be able, God willing, to achieve any of their goals with this great crime.
“Meting out the appropriate punishment to these criminal assassins... will be the responsibility and task of all resistance fighters worldwide,” he stated.
“We who stayed by his side will follow in his footsteps and strive day and night to accomplish his goals,” the Hezbollah chief said.
“We will carry a flag on all battlefields and all fronts and we will step up the victories of the axis of resistance with the blessing of his pure blood,” Nasrallah highlighted.
He then extended his deep condolences to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and General Solemiani’s family.
US
President Donald Trump ordered the killing of Iran Revolutionary Guards
commander Qasem Soleimani, who died in Baghdad “in a decisive defensive
action to protect US personnel abroad,” the Pentagon said.
“General
Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats
and service members in Iraq and throughout the region. General Soleimani
and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of
American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands
more,” the Department of Defense said.
Following Soleimani’s death, Trump tweeted an image of the US flag without any further explanation.
President
Donald Trump had ordered the US military to kill Iranian Major General
Qassem Soleimani, the Pentagon has said in a statement.
Soleimani,
the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards
Corps (IRGC), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq's
Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), were killed in US airstrikes in the
Iraqi capital Baghdad early on Friday.
The
IRGC confirmed in a statement that Soleimani and al-Muhandis were
martyred in the attack carried out by US helicopters. The Iraqi
pro-government group also confirmed the incident.
“At
the direction of the President, the US military has taken decisive
defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem
Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds
Force,” the Pentagon said in a statement on Friday.
“This
strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans. The United
States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people
and our interests wherever they are around the world.”
Meanwhile,
US troops with the 82nd Airborne Division arrived in Kuwait as part of
the Immediate Response Force, the US Department of Defense announced.
The
strike, which occurred at Baghdad’s international airport on Friday in
Iraq, also killed the deputy chief of Iraq’s powerful Hashed al-Shaabi
paramilitary force.
(FILES)
A file handout picture released by the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on October 1, 2019, shows Qasem Soleimani,
Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General and commander of
the Quds Force, speaking during an interview with members of the
Iranian leader’s bureau in Tehran. A US strike killed top Iranian
commander Qasem Soleimani and the deputy head of Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi
military force at Baghdad’s airport early on January 3, 2019, the
Hashed announced. Handout / KHAMENEI.IR / AFP
A pro-Iran mob this week laid siege to the US embassy following deadly American air strikes on a hardline Hashed faction.
The
US had called the strikes in response to a rocket attack days earlier
that had killed an American contractor working in Iraq.
The Baghdad airport was hit in a volley of missiles just after midnight Friday, Iraq’s military had announced.
Security sources told AFP the bombardment hit a Hashed convoy and killed eight people, including “important figures.”
Soleimani
heads the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force and also serves
as Iran’s pointman on Iraq, visiting the country in times of turmoil.
“At
the direction of the President, the US military has taken decisive
defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem
Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force,
a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization,” the Pentagon said.
“This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans,” it added.
The
Pentagon said that Soleimani had orchestrated attacks on coalition
bases in Iraq over the past months, including on December 27, the day
the US contractor was killed.
“General Soleimani also approved the attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdad that took place this week,” it said.
Speaker of the US House Nancy Pelosi holds her weekly news conference at the US Capitol December 19, 2019. (AFP photo)
US
President Donald Trump’s order to assassinate Iranian Major General
Qassem Soleimani has prompted swift condemnation from several US
officials and lawmakers in Congress.
Former US Vice President and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden warned that “Iran will surely respond.”
“President
Trump just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox, and he owes the
American people an explanation of the strategy and plan to keep safe
our troops and embassy personnel, our people and our interest, both here
at home and abroad, and our partners throughout the region and beyond,”
Biden said on Twitter.
US
Democratic leaders in both chambers of Congress expressed outrage over
Trump's ordered strike, saying the Republican president did not obtain
congressional approval.
"We
cannot put the lives of American servicemembers, diplomats and others
further at risk by engaging in provocative and disproportionate
actions," said US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
"Tonight's
airstrike risks provoking further dangerous escalation of
violence. America – and the world – cannot afford to have tensions
escalate to the point of no return," Pelosi said in a statement.
"The
Administration has conducted tonight's strikes in Iraq targeting
high-level Iranian military officials and killing Iranian Quds Force
Commander Qassem Soleimani without an Authorization for Use of Military
Force (AUMF) against Iran. Further, this action was taken without the
consultation of the Congress," she added.
US
Representative Adam Schiff, another top Democrat in the lower chamber
of Congress, warned Trump over the killing, saying "Congress didn’t
authorize and American people don’t want a war with Iran."
“All steps must now be taken to protect our forces against the almost inevitable escalation and increased risk,” Schiff tweeted.
Representative
Ilhan Omar, a Muslim lawmaker from Minnesota and a fierce critic of
Trump, also attacked the president for his order to kill the top Iranian
general.
“So
what if Trump wants war, knows this leads to war and needs the
distraction? Real question is, will those with congressional authority
step in and stop him? I know I will,” she tweeted.
US
Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren called
the American attack a “reckless move” that “increases the likelihood of
more deaths and new Middle East conflict.”
Senator
Tom Udall said the strike could put “US forces and citizens in danger
and very possibly sinking us into another disastrous war in the Middle
East that the American people are not asking for and do not support.”
“I
urge members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to show courage on
this issue, and I urge the Trump administration to change course and
pursue diplomacy before we are entangled in yet another war in the
Middle East with no end in sight,” he added in a statement.
Democratic
Senator Ed Markey said: "Trump's apparent assassination of Soleimani is
a massive, deliberate, and dangerous escalation of conflict with Iran.
The President just put the lives of every person in the region - US
service members and civilians - at immediate risk. We need de-escalation
now."
Representative
Eliot Engel, a Democrat from New York and Chairman of the House
Committee on Foreign Affairs, said in a statement that “we are now again
on the brink of direct confrontation in the Middle East. Tonight’s
action represents a massive escalation in our conflict with Iran with
unpredictable consequences.”
“Finally,
this strike went forward with no notification or consultation with
Congress. To push ahead with an action of this gravity without involving
Congress raises serious legal problems and is an affront to Congress’s
powers as a coequal branch of government,” he added.
The UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Agnes Callamard, also condemned the killing of Soleimani.
“The
targeted killings of Qasem Soleiman and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis are most
lokely unlawful and violate international human rights law: Outside the
context of active hostilities, the use of drones or other means for
targeted killing is almost never likely to be legal,” she wrote on
Twitter.
Soleimani,
the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards
Corps (IRGC), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq's
Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), were killed in US airstrikes in the
Iraqi capital Baghdad early on Friday.
The
IRGC confirmed in a statement that Soleimani and al-Muhandis were
martyred in the attack carried out by US helicopters. The Iraqi
pro-government group also confirmed the incident.
The US Defense Department confirmed the strike, saying it came "at the direction of the president".
The
Iranian general was a globally famous defense strategist who played a
key role in the counter-terrorism operations that led to the collapse of
the Daesh terror group in Iraq and Syria.
Soleimani
had survived several assassination attempts against him by Western,
Israeli and Arab agencies over the past years. In November 2018, The New
York Times revealed a March 2017 meeting in Riyadh to assassinate
Iranian officials, namely Soleimani.
Tensions
between Washington and Tehran have been rising ever since Trump in 2018
withdrew the US from the nuclear deal that Tehran had signed in 2015
with the US and five other nations.
Trump’s
policy on Iran has been defined by military threats and economic
sanctions. He adopted a hostile approach from day one. However, the
so-called maximum pressure campaign has only backfired.
Leader
of Iran's Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei (left) and
IRGC Quds Force Commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani
Leader
of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says those who
assassinated IRGC Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani
must await a harsh revenge.
In
a statement on Friday, Ayatollah Khamenei said the “cruelest people on
earth” assassinated the “honorable” commander who “courageously fought
for years against the evils and bandits of the world.”
His
demise will not stop his mission, but the criminals who have the blood
of General Soleimani and other martyrs of the Thursday night attack on
their hands must await a harsh revenge, the Leader added.
“Martyr
Soleimani is an international figure of the Resistance, and all the
devotees of Resistance are now his avengers,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
"All
the friends and foes must know that the path of Jihad of the Resistance
will continue with double motivation, and a definite victory awaits
those who fight in this auspicious path," the Leader said.
“The
demise of our selfless and dear general is bitter, but the continued
fight and achievement of the final victory will make life bitterer for
the murderers and criminals,” he added.
In
his statement, the Leader also offered condolences to the Iranian
nation and General Soleimani’s family, and declared three days of
national mourning.'Iran more determined now'
Following
the Leader’s remarks, President Hassan Rouhani strongly condemned the
attack, and said the US assassination will make Iran and other free
nations more determined to stand against Washington.
“The
martyrdom of the great commander of Islam and Iran, and the courageous
commander of the Quds Force, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, along
with some of his companions especially the great fighter Abu Mahdi
al-Muhandis, by the aggressive and criminal US broke the heart of the
entire nation of Iran and regional nations,” President Rouhani said in a
Friday statement.
The
assassination “doubled the determination of the great nation of Iran
and other free nations to stand against and resist the excessive demands
of the US and to defend the Islamic values,” he added.
“There
is no doubt that this cowardly and evil move is another sign of the US’
desperation, inability and failure in the region, and the hatred felt
by the regional nations toward this criminal regime,” Rouhani noted.
“The
great nation of Iran and other free nations of the region will take
revenge for this heinous crime against the criminal US,” he warned.
Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami also vowed that revenge will be taken against all those behind the assassination.
“Undoubtedly,
this heinous crime which is a strong proof of the evil nature of the
Big Satan, the arrogant US and it’s all-out support for terrorism in the
region and Iraq, will be responded to in a crushing way,” the defense
minister warned.
Earlier, former commander of the IRGC Major General Mohsen Rezaei also vowed a harsh revenge against the perpetrators.
Details of the attack
Speaking
to Iran's state TV, the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad Iraj Masjedi
explained that the US' missile attacks hit two cars transferring General
Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and 10 companions and bodyguards from
Baghdad Airport to the city at 1 am (local time).
According
to Masjedi, all the passengers have been killed, and arrangements are
being made for their return to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Iranian
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif looks on as he attends a press
conference on a meeting of the Syria constitution-writing committee on
October 29, 2019 at the United Nations Offices in Geneva. (Photo by AFP)
Iranian
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has strongly condemned
US assassination of IRGC Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem
Soleimani, saying it will strengthen the resistance movement across the
world.
“The
malice and stupidity of the terrorist American forces in assassinating
General Soleimani, the hero and commander of fight against terrorism and
extremism, will undoubtedly make stronger the tree of resistance in the
region and the world,” Zarif said in a Friday statement.
The
top diplomat said Foreign Ministry will use its political, legal, and
international capacities to implement decisions made by Iran's Supreme
National Security Council in order to hold the criminal and terrorism
regime of the US accountable for this blatant crime.
Zarif
had earlier tweeted that “the US' act of international terrorism,
targeting & assassinating General Soleimani— THE most effective
force fighting Daesh (ISIS), Al Nusrah, Al Qaeda et al—is extremely
dangerous & a foolish escalation.”
“The US bears responsibility for all consequences of its rogue adventurism,” Zarif warned
The
comments came after Major General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis,
the second-in-command of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), were
assassinated in US airstrikes in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
The
IRGC announced in a statement on Friday morning that Major General
Soleimani and al-Muhandis were martyred in the attack carried out by US
helicopters.
The Iraqi pro-government group also confirmed the incident.
"The
deputy head of the Hashed, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and head of the Quds
Force, Qasem Soleimani, were killed in a US strike that targeted their
car on the Baghdad International Airport road," it said in a statement.
"The
American and Israeli enemy is responsible for killing the mujahideen
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qassem Soleimani," said Ahmed al-Assadi, a PMU
spokesman.
Hessamoddin
Ashena, adviser to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, has said
Washington "passed red lines" with its assassination of Gen. Qassem
Soleimani and will "have to face its consequences".
The
presidential adviser on Friday added that United States President
Donald Trump has pushed Washington into the "most dangerous regional
circumstances".
"Trump,
with his gambling, has pushed the US into the most dangerous regional
circumstances. One who passes the red lines will have to be ready to
face its consequences," he said.
Earlier
on Friday, the IRGC confirmed that Major General Soleimani, the
commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC, had been assassinated in US
airstrikes in Baghdad.
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