Iran’s Major General Qassem Suleimani, who commands the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), has topped Foreign Policy (FP)’s 2019 list of Global Thinkers in the defense and security field.
It placed General Suleimani on top of the list of the most influential people in the defense and security sector, followed by German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen.
“Qassem Suleimani has led Iran’s covert military efforts for two decades now, but his role has never been larger than it is today. Suleimani’s fingerprints are everywhere that Iran is active, from Yemen to Iraq to Syria,” FP said in its 10th annual special edition of Global Thinkers with 10 categories of 10 people each.
The Washington-based magazine added that General Suleimani “has also become the public face of Iran’s response to US President Donald Trump’s threats.”
It cited a fiery speech in which the Iranian general responded to Trump’s threats of actions “the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before.”
“We are near you, where you can’t even imagine…. We are ready,” FP quoted Suleimani as warning Trump in July 2018.
The IRGC commander is widely seen as a strategist in the counter-terrorism operations against Takfiri terrorists in Syria and Iraq.
Source: Foreign Policy
