TEHRAN (IranNews) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi lashed out at the European countries’ “unconstructive” response to the US assassination of IRGC Qods Force Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, reminding the bloc that Europe today’s security is indebted to the ceaseless efforts of the late Gen. Soleimani. In his weekly presser on Sunday, […]
TEHRAN (IranNews) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi lashed out at the European countries’ “unconstructive” response to the US assassination of IRGC Qods Force Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, reminding the bloc that Europe today’s security is indebted to the ceaseless efforts of the late Gen. Soleimani.
In his weekly presser on Sunday, Mousavi censured France, Germany and the UK for their recent “unconstructive stances”.
“The elimination of the ISIL [terrorist group] by Resistance forces with General Soleimani in command has provided Europe security for them,” Mousavi highlighted, reminding the bold role of the late commander in anti-terrorism campaign in the region.
The diplomat reiterated Tehran’s stance that Iran will never sit to the negotiating table under pressure, rejecting any call for dialogue after the US criminal act of assassinating an official member of the country’s military forces.
Lieutenant General Soleimani, the hero of anti-terrorism fight in the Middle East, was martyred in a targeted assassination attack by the US aircraft at Baghdad International Airport early Friday morning. The airstrike also martyred Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iraq’s anti-terror Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).
They were assassinated in the US strike on their motorcade just outside Baghdad airport as Gen. Soleimani’s flight arrived from Syria, leading to speculations that the Israeli intelligence might have played a role.
“General Qassem Soleimani has been martyred by the US helicopters after lifetime efforts,” the IRGC said in a statement early Friday morning.
A PMF official said 10 people were martyred by missiles fired by the US helicopters at Baghdad International Airport.
He said the dead included the PMF airport protocol officer, Mohammed Reda.
The central HQ of IRGC’s Qods Force issued a statement on Friday, recounting that during the terrorist attack of Americans, 10 people were martyred, out of the 5 were Iranian, including Lieutenant General Soleimani, and 5 of them were Iraqi, including Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
The Pentagon confirmed the attack in a statement.
The attack came amid tensions that started by the US attack on PMF units that killed 28 Iraqi popular forces. A day later, Iraqi people attacked the US embassy in Baghdad. On Wednesday President Donald Trump ordered about 750 US soldiers deployed to the Middle East.
US officials earlier suggested they were to engage in further retaliatory attacks in Iraq.
The developments also represent a major downturn in Iraq-US relations that could further undermine US influence in the region and American troops in Iraq and weaken Washington’s hand in its pressure campaign against Iran.
US President Donald Trump was vacationing on his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, but sent out a tweet of an American flag.
The attack represents a dramatic escalation by the US toward Iran after months of tensions. The tensions take root in Trump’s decision in May 2018 to withdraw the US from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, struck under his predecessor.
Trump has drawn widespread condemnation across the United States as groups of protesters took to the streets in Washington and other US cities on Saturday to criticize him for ordering the airstrike in Iraq and to send about 3,000 more troops to the Middle East.
- source : FNA, Iran News
