Army Commander:

Iran to Punish US for Terrorist Attack on Gen. Soleimani

Iranian Army Commander Major General Seyed Abdolrahim Mousavi warned that Washington's cruel terrorist attack on Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Qods Force Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani will not go unpunished.

News ID: 448324

Date: 04 January 2020 - 08:01

RNA - The chief commander of the army highlighted in the message that the resistance movement will certainly be further strengthened in the wake of this terrorist act of blasphemous criminals who shed the IRGC commander's sacred and pure blood.

Earlier today, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami vowed revenge from those behind the horrendous crime of assassination of General Soleimani in Baghdad.

The defense minister stated that those whose masterminded the terrorist act and those who carried it out will face a crushing response.

The top commander was martyred in a targeted assassination attack by US aircraft at Baghdad International Airport early Friday morning.

The airstrike also martyred Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), or Hashad al-Shabi. The PMF media arm reported that the two were martyred in an American airstrike that targeted their vehicle on the road to the airport.

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 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.

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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