Iran president promises revenge three years after death of general
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s president on Tuesday vowed to avenge the killing of the country’s top general on the third anniversary of his death, as the government rallied its supporters in mourning amid months of anti-government protests.
In a U.S. drone attack in Iraq, Gen. Qassem SOLEMANI, the architect of Iran’s regional military activities was killed. He is hailed as a national icon Iran’s supporters are among those who have taken down billboards, and defaced other images.
Addressing a ceremony marking the general’s death, President Ebrahim Raisi said those behind it “should know that retaliation is obvious,” adding that “there will be no relief for murderers and accomplices.”
He said Soleimani had defeated “U.S. hegemony” and praised him for his role in leading Iran-backed forces against the Islamic State extremist group. Soleimani was also remembered in Iraq, where he was mourned alongside Abu Mahdi al Muhandis, an Iraqi militia chief who was killed in the same attack. Iranian-backed militias make up the bulk of Iraq’s state-supported Popular Mobilization Forces.
Iran responded to Soleimani’s murder by launching a barrage at U.S. bases, in Iraq. It caused numerous brain concussions injuries but not deaths among U.S. soldiers. Iranian officials repeatedly promised to take further actions and imposed sanctions against those who were accused of participating in the operation.
On Monday, Iran’s state-linked Jam Jam newspaper published the names and photos of 51 Americans it said were involved in the strike and were “under the shadow of retaliation.” The list included several current and former senior U.S. civilian and military officials as well as individuals who appeared to be soldiers involved in aircraft maintenance at regional bases.
Raisi accused the U.S. of waging a “hybrid war” against Iran, referring to the protests. Iranian officials accuse the U.S. and other powers of inciting unrest in Iran without providing any evidence.
Iran’s judiciary said Tuesday that it had indicted two French nationals and a Belgian, without providing further details. Iran has been holding several foreigners and dual nationals charged with endangering national security, protest participation or other charges. Iran denies denying rights to them and using them as bargaining cards with the West, according to rights groups.
Protests were sparked by the murder of a young woman mid-September by Iran’s morality officers for allegedly violating Iran’s strict Islamic dress codes. quickly spread across the country And they show no signs of slowing down.
Protestors say they are tired and fed up with decades worth of social and political oppression and want to see the government overthrown. Protests are one of the most significant challenges Iran’s democracy faces since its 1979 revolution.
According to Human Rights Activists Iran, a group which has closely followed the unrest, at least 516 protesters were killed and more than 19,000 people were arrested. The Iranian authorities have not released an official count of the people killed or detained.
Soleimani was the leader of the elite Quds force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. He was also credited with helping to arm and train armed groups in the region. This included the Shiite militias, Lebanese Hezbollah and fighters in Syria and the Palestinian territories. His involvement in the deaths of many American soldiers in Iraq was deemed by the U.S. to be his fault. Soleimani, an Iranian theocrat, is close to a corrupt and violent Islamic theocracy.