Iran reminded the US government of its “definitive international responsibility” for the assassination of top commander Lt. General Qassem Suleimani, saying it has adopted measures to hold the contributors and perpetrators of the terrorist crime accountable.
In a statement issued on Friday, Iranian Foreign Ministry praised General Suleimani as the “the Hero of the Fight against Terrorism and the General of Peace.”
“He invariably played a role in line with the principled policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran to help establish peace and stability at the regional and international levels.”
In January 2020, a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport assassinated General Suleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps. The attack — that also killed Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) anti-terror group, along with several others— came while General Suleimani was on an official visit to the Iraqi capital.
“Despite this role and position, the US government, through applying double standards and false claims like that of countering terrorism, in a criminal act that violates the rules and principles of international law, planned and carried out a terrorist attack against Martyr General Soleimani as one of the highest-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the territory of Iraq as the host country,” the statement said.
The Iranian ministry said that the blood of the Iranian and Iraqi commanders had “spiritual effects” that brought about the failure of US strategy in the region.
“The US fleeing from Afghanistan, the beginning of the process of withdrawal from Iraq and the change in the strategy of the US military presence in the geostrategic region of Persian Gulf showcase a small part of such impacts and consequences.”
According to international and legal standards, the US government bears “definitive international responsibility” for this crime, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.
“In this context, all the agents, instigators, contributors and perpetrators of this terrorist crime are responsible. Therefore, in cooperation with other agencies and the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has adopted a number of measures from the very beginning based on the legal principle of “combating the impunity of criminals” to hold such individuals and entities accountable before the courts and will continue on this path until the final result is achieved.”
Source: Al-Manar English Website and Iranian media
