Lieutenant Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said that the Americans who are afraid of the scale of Iran's response to the assassination of the IRGC Qods Force Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani have resorted to diplomacy. RNA - "The Americans should wait for a harsh revenge" which will not necessarily be taken by Iran," General Fadavi said in an interview with the state TV on Friday night.
He underlined that the resistance front is ready to take harsh revenge for the terrorist assassination at the best time and in the best possible way, adding that the Americans have resorted to diplomatic channels - through the Swiss embassy in Tehran which represents the US interests in Iran - to ask Tehran to "give a proportionate response if it insists on reprisal, but the Americans are in no position to decide about anything".
Elsewhere, General Fadavi noted that General Soleimani had traveled to Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi officials, and said, "This time, Hajj Qassem had traveled from Syria to Iraq on a passenger plane which can be traced even in aviation websites."
Lieutenant General Soleimani was martyred in a targeted assassination attack by the US aircraft at Baghdad International Airport early on Friday morning.
General Qassem Soleimani has been martyred by the US aircraft after lifetime efforts, the IRGC said in a statement early Friday morning.
The airstrike also martyred Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), or Hashad al-Shaabi. The PMF media arm said the two were martyred in an American airstrike that targeted their vehicle on the road to the airport.
A PMF official said seven people were martyred by missiles fired by the US aircraft at Baghdad International Airport.
He said the dead included the PMF airport protocol officer, Mohammed Reda.
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.
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