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Iran Calls on Iraq to Form a Judicial Case on Soleimani’s Assassination

Qassem Soleimani’s children arrive at their father’s fourth-anniversary ceremony in Tehran (Tasnim)
Qassem Soleimani’s children arrive at their father’s fourth-anniversary ceremony in Tehran (Tasnim)
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Iran Calls on Iraq to Form a Judicial Case on Soleimani’s Assassination

Qassem Soleimani’s children arrive at their father’s fourth-anniversary ceremony in Tehran (Tasnim)
Qassem Soleimani’s children arrive at their father’s fourth-anniversary ceremony in Tehran (Tasnim)

Iran is in contact with Iraq to form legal proceedings to prosecute those accused in the killing of al-Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in Baghdad four years ago.

The head of the Human Rights Committee of the Iranian judiciary, Kazem Gharibabadi, revealed that the Soleimani case has already been pursued in local courts and is trying to be brought to the international level.

The Tasnim Agency, affiliated with the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), quoted Gharibabadi as saying that Iran informed US defendants of their right to appear in court, defend themselves, or designate a lawyer to represent them. The court would appoint one if the suspects did not choose a lawyer.

According to the Iranian official, Tehran is communicating with the Iraqi authorities regarding the Soleimani case. They have urged their counterparts in Baghdad to conclude their investigations swiftly and submit the indictment to the court.

Recently, an Iraqi delegation visited Tehran and assured that their investigations would conclude soon. They indicated their intention to submit a list of indictments to the court, marking the beginning of a judicial process in the two countries.

Over the past two years, Iranian authorities pressured Baghdad to secure recognition of Soleimani’s entry into Iraq on a diplomatic mission before the US drone targeted him.

Last month, the Iranian judiciary demanded the US administration pay compensation of about $50 billion for assassinating the top military officer.

In 2020, Soleimani was assassinated during a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport, ordered by former US President Donald Trump.

At the time, Trump confirmed that the US succeeded in eliminating a top Iranian commander who was plotting “imminent” attacks against US diplomats and military personnel.

Soleimani, who passed away at 62, had a long career within the ranks of the Revolutionary Guard.

Ultimately, he rose to lead the al-Quds Force in the late nineties.

He is credited with a significant role in the expansion of Iranian intelligence and military operations in the Middle East and contributed to building armed groups that fight by proxy, which concerned the US and its allies.

Months before his killing, Soleimani had announced an “asymmetric” war against US forces and their interests in the region.

He said that he would fight that war without direct interference from the Iranian armed forces, referring to armed groups loyal to Iran

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Arab World

US Determines Sudan's RSF Committed Genocide, Imposes Sanctions on Leader

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, attends a meeting of representatives of the tripartite mechanism in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on June 8, 2022. (AFP)
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, attends a meeting of representatives of the tripartite mechanism in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on June 8, 2022. (AFP)
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US Determines Sudan's RSF Committed Genocide, Imposes Sanctions on Leader

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, attends a meeting of representatives of the tripartite mechanism in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on June 8, 2022. (AFP)
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, attends a meeting of representatives of the tripartite mechanism in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on June 8, 2022. (AFP)

The United States determined on Tuesday that members of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias committed genocide in Sudan and it imposed sanctions on the group's leader over a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.

The moves deal a blow to the RSF's attempts to burnish its image and assert legitimacy - including by installing a civilian government- as the paramilitary group seeks to expand its territory beyond the roughly half of the country it currently controls.

The RSF rejected the measures.

"America previously punished the great African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, which was wrong. Today, it is rewarding those who started the war by punishing (RSF leader) General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, which is also wrong," said an RSF spokesman when reached for comment.

The war in Sudan has produced waves of ethnically driven violence blamed largely on the RSF. It has also carried out mass looting campaigns across swathes of the country, arbitrarily killing and sexually assaulting civilians in the process.

The RSF denies harming civilians and attributes the activity to rogue actors it says it is trying to control.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement the RSF and aligned militias had continued to direct attacks against civilians, adding they had systematically murdered men and boys on an ethnic basis and had deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of sexual violence.

The militias have also targeted fleeing civilians and murdered innocent people escaping conflict, Blinken said.

"The United States is committed to holding accountable those responsible for these atrocities," Blinken said.

Washington announced sanctions on the leader of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, barring him and his family from travelling to the US and freezing any US assets he might hold. Financial institutions and others that engage in certain activity with him also risk being hit with sanctions themselves.

It had previously sanctioned other leaders, as well as army officials, but had not sanctioned Dagalo, known as Hemedti, as attempts to bring the two sides to talks continued.

Such attempts have stalled in recent months.

"As the overall commander of the RSF, Hemedti bears command responsibility for the abhorrent and illegal actions of his forces," the Treasury said.

Sudan's army and RSF have been fighting for almost two years, creating a humanitarian crisis in which UN agencies struggle to deliver relief. More than half of Sudan's population faces hunger, and famine has been declared in several areas.

The war erupted in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the army and RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule.

Blinken said in the statement that "both belligerents bear responsibility for the violence and suffering in Sudan and lack the legitimacy to govern a future peaceful Sudan."

The US has sanctioned army leaders as well as individuals and entities linked to financing its weapons procurement. Last year, Blinken accused the RSF and the army, which has carried out numerous indiscriminate air strikes, of war crimes.