On anniversary of Qassem Soleimani’s death, Iran also holds Biden administration responsible for assassination.
By David Hellerman, World Israel News
Beginning a week of commemorations for the second anniversary of the assassination of Quds Force commander Maj.-Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the U.S. still bears responsibility, and that former president Donald Trump will “end up in the garbage heap of history.”
“Commander Soleimani was a symbol that left its mark on the reality of our region. His killers, like President Trump and his associates, will be rejected and forgotten and thrown into the garbage heap of history, having paid for their crimes,” Khamenei said.
“Our enemies thought that having assassinated Soleimani their job was done. But today, thanks to the blood of the jihads, the resistance is thriving and is more full of hope than ever. The United States has withdrawn from Afghanistan and reduced its troops in Iraq thanks to the vigilance of our brethren in Iraq. In Yemen, the resistance has progressed greatly and in Syria, our enemies are broken and without hope for the future,” Iran’s Supreme Leader added.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said, “The U.S. government bears definitive international responsibility for this crime.”
Referring to the Biden administration, the ministry added, “Undoubtedly, the criminal act of the United States in martyring general #Soleimani is a clear manifestation of a ‘terrorist attack’ that was orchestrated and carried out in an organized manner by the then U.S. government for which the White House is now responsible.”
As commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani was the point man for Iran’s relations with its regional proxies. He supervised Tehran’s efforts to entrench itself in Syria and Lebanon and oversaw relations with Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthi militia in Yemen, and other allied militias in Iraq.
Soleimani was linked to attacks on U.S. targets in the Mideast when he was killed in a U.S. drone strike near the Baghdad International Airport on January 7, 2020. The Trump administration said Soleiman was planning further attacks.
Last month, the former head of IDF military intelligence Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Tamir Hayman confirmed Israel “played a role” in the assassination. He didn’t specify, but reports indicate Israel helped track down Soleimani.
Tehran an has vowed to avenge Soleimani’s death. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that a display of unspecified “missile capabilities” will be held on January.