#Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has vowed “revenge” if former #UnitedStates President Donald #Trump is not criminally tried in court over the assassination of IRGC Major General Qassem Soleimani. While speaking during commemorations on the two year anniversary of Soleimani’s death, Raisi stated “If Trump and [former Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo are not tried in a fair court for the criminal act of assassinating General Soleimani, Muslims will take our martyr’s revenge,” adding
“The aggressor, murderer and main culprit – the then president of the United States – must be tried and judged under the law of retribution, and God’s ruling must be carried out against him.”
#Iran has previously attempted to issue an international warrant for Trump’s arrest over the killing and has recently called on the #UN to take action.
As the commander of the Quds Force, Soleimani was seen as a powerful figure in Iran, and played a prominent role in Iran’s foreign policy in the Middle East over the last decade. Iranians admired Soleimani in the way that Americans admired World War II generals like George Patton, and Brits admired 19th century military leaders like the Duke of Wellington.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement to Reuters that he is replacing Soleimani with the deputy commander of the Quds Force, Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani. Ghaani became the deputy commander of the Quds Force in 1997 when Soleimani became its chief commander.
The new Quds Force leader told Iranian media in 2017 that Trump’s “threats against Iran will damage America … We have buried many … like Trump and know how to fight against America.” He also said at the same time, according to Newsweek:
“We are not a war-mongering country. But any military action against Iran will be regretted…”
