Iran’s speaker: US assassination of Gen. Soleimani organized state terrorism


Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf in a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the heads of the parliaments of other countries said that the assassination of Lieutenant-General Qasem Soleimani by the US army is a stance of organized state terrorism, overt violation of national sovereignty and independence of Iraq, and violation of Iran’s sovereignty.

Iran’s anti-terror commander Lieutenant-General Qasem Soleimani and the acting commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) – known as the Hashd al-Shaabi – Abu Mahdi Al-Mohandis, separately leaving Baghdad airport in two cars were targeted and assassinated on 3rd of January 2020 on the instruction of US President Donald Trump. Eight other military men were also killed in the act of terror.

On the occasion of General Soleimani’s martyrdom first anniversary, Qalibaf wrote that General Soleimani arrived in Iraq at the official invitation of Baghdad on a civilian flight when he was hit by US rockets in a terror attack.

Qalibaf wrote that the Iranian general was the highest-ranking military advisor in Iraq in recent years and had an important role in the Iraqi people and the government’s fight against terrorism.

Condemning the US assassination of the Iranian general, Qalibaf wrote General Soleimani was assassinated while there was no war between Iran and the US and he was in Iraq to help the region's peace and stability.

He also wrote that the US' move was against the UN Charter and international conventions and severely harmed majesty of law, right to sovereignty, and international attempts to fight terrorism.

Qalibaf also urged the addresses to help fight terrorism – especially state terrorism – and lay the legal foundations to stop the repetition of such tragedies.