Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the recent report issued by UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard on the assassination of former IRGC Quds Force Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani proved the illegality of the act. Rasa - “One of the measures adopted (by the foreign ministry) was informing the Special Rapporteur and thanks God, its result was a report which was released (recently) and showed the US illegal act,” Zarif told reporters in Tehran on Tuesday.
“The US harsh reaction indicates how much they are concerned about the move (the report),” he added.
Zarif said that all the relevant departments in the foreign ministry have been entrusted with pursuing General Soleimani’s assassination case at different international bodies.
In a relevant development, Iran’s Judiciary Chief Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi ordered his deputy and Tehran prosecutor-general to persistently pursue the US assassination of General Soleimani.
“Tehran prosecutor-general (Ali Alqasi Mehr) and the judiciary chief’s deputy for international affairs (Ali Baqeri) should put on their agenda the issue of prosecuting the murderers of martyr Soleimani and the issues raised by UN Special Rapporteur (Agnes Callamard),” Rayeesi said, addressing the judiciary officials in Tehran on Monday.
Earlier this month, Callamard had called the assassination of General Soleimani by the US a clear violation of international law.
Rayeesi underlined that the case of assassination of General Soleimani should be pursued without any stop.
Lieutenant General Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike on Baghdad International Airport in Iraq on January 3.
The airstrike also martyred Deputy Commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The two were martyred in an American airstrike that targeted their vehicle on the road to the airport.
Five Iranian and five Iraqi military men were martyred by the missiles fired by the US drone at Baghdad International Airport.
Meantime, Iran announced in late June that it had issued arrest warrants for 36 officials of the US and other countries who have been involved in the assassination of the martyred General Soleimani.
"36 individuals who have been involved or ordered the assassination of Hajj Qassem, including the political and military officials of the US and other governments, have been identified and arrest warrants have been issued for them by the judiciary officials and red alerts have also been issued for them via the Interpol," Alqasi Mehr said.
He said that the prosecuted individuals are accused of murder and terrorist action, adding that US President Donald Trump stands at the top of the list and will be prosecuted as soon as he stands down presidency after his term ends.