Tehran, SAEDNEWS, Feb. 3: “Ending the US forces’ presence in the region will be the best reaction to this terrorist measure,” Zarif said in a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hossein in Tehran on Wednesday.
He appreciated Iraq for pursuing assassination of General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis through judicial channels, and expressed the hope that the perpetrators and masterminds of the terrorist attack would be punished for their criminal acts.
During the meeting, the two sides also discussed bilateral ties and regional and international developments.
Hossein, for his part, underlined the Iraqi prime minister’s special attention to pursuing and organizing efforts to further broaden bilateral relations with Iran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Tuesday that assassination of General Soleimani is a top priority case of the foreign ministry.
“This case has been the top priority of the foreign ministry since 5:00 AM of the day that General Soleimani was martyred and has been followed up in various aspects,” Khatibzadeh said.
He added that on the first anniversary of General Soleimani’s martyrdom (January 3, 2021), the foreign ministry raised the issue as a global demand extensively.
Khatibzadeh also noted that a joint working group has also been set up in cooperation with the judiciary and a number of documents have been collected for indictment, adding, “To act at international forums, we need documents based on the ruling of a competent court in Iran.”
General Soleimani played an influential role in the battle of Iraqi and Syrian nations against the world’s most notorious Takfiri terror groups, the ISIL and al-Qaeda.
Lieutenant General Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike on Baghdad International Airport in Iraq on January 3, 2020, upon an order by Trump.
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.
On January 8, 2020, and after the funeral ceremony of General Soleimani, the IRGC Aerospace Force started heavy ballistic missile attacks on US Ein Al-Assad airbase in Southwestern Iraq near the border with Syria and a US operated airbase in Erbil in retaliation for the US assassination of General Soleimani.
Ein Al-Assad is an airbase with a 4km runway at 188m altitude from sea levels, which is the main and the largest US airbase in Iraq. Early reports said the radar systems and missile defense shields in Ein Al-Assad failed to operate and intercept the Iranian missiles. Unofficial reports said the US army's central radar systems at Ein Al-Assad had been jammed by electronic warfare.
The second IRGC reprisal attack targeted a US military base near Erbil airport in Iraqi Kurdistan Region in the second leg of "Martyr Soleimani" reprisal operation.
Iraq said the attacks had not taken any toll from its army men stationed at these two bases. The US army had blocked entrance into Ein Al-Assad to everyone, including the Iraqi army.
The IRGC officials said none of the missiles had been intercepted.
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 at the time.
He said that the prosecuted individuals are accused of murder and terrorist action, adding that Trump stands at the top of the list and will be prosecuted as soon as he stands down presidency after his term ends.
Last month, Iran’s Judiciary Spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmayeeli said that Tehran has asked Interpol to issue a red notice for all perpetrators and masterminds of the assassination of General Soleimani.
“Iran has asked the Interpol for the apprehension of the US president and 47 others in connection with the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani near the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, last year,” Esmayeeli announced.
He added that Iran has identified 48 people in connection with the targeted terror attack and that includes US President Donald Trump, Pentagon officials and terrorist American forces in the region (Source: Fars News).
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